Behind the Face of Winter

Fiction. African American Studies. Pedro Moore leaves the nurturing yet destitute home of his grandmother on Isabella Island to join his mother Isis, who works as a domestic in Montreal. Pedro brings with him the memories of his island, the teachings of his beloved grandmother, and a desire to know the secret identity of his father. BEHIND THE FACE OF WINTER is a coming-of-age novel that takes place in a Montreal in which immigrant youth totter on the edge of self-destruction and oblivion. Thomas's language is spare, and his crackling dialogue and use of patois compares with the best in Caribbean literature. This is a brilliantly evocative novel sure to leave its mark on the reader. "[a] satisfying novel . . . [with] an impressive sense of place"-Times Literary Supplement.

A coming-of-age novel set in a Montreal in which immigrant youth totter on the edge of self-destruction and oblivion, in the face of brutal and racist police, an insensitive education system, and few prospects for the future. Thomas's language is spare, and his crackling dialogue and use of patois can compare with the best in Caribbean literature.

H. Nigel Thomas emigrated from St. Vincent and the Grenadines forty years ago. He now lives in the Greenfield Park suburb of Montreal. He is a graduate of Concordia University, McGill University, and Universite de Montreal. Until 2006 he was professor of US literature at Universite Laval. His short stories, poems, and articles have appeared in several journals and anthologies. He is the author of seven books.