Road to Damascus
Author: Oren Cousins
Reviewer: Barbara Nelson
Publisher: LMH Publishing Ltd.
ROAD TO Damascus is a story about Special Agent, Jamaican-born Bateman Carter Jr., who sets out to solve the riddle of his brother George's murder in Jamaica.
The reader is told on the front cover that this is "A tale of drugs, deceit, deception, murder and revenge in modern Jamaica."
The author, Jamaican-born Oren Cousins, is a retired secondary school principal who now serves as a Justice of the Peace and a volunteer counsellor in the community of Linstead.
Mr. Cousins has written an interesting and absorbing novel.
There are 18 chapters, and Road to Damascus starts with Bateman's return to Jamaica, his reunion with younger brother Raymond and his reaction to 'The Media, Crime and Police'.
Cousins has a great gift of painting word pictures.
This is how he describes Raymond in chapter two: "A tall, bearded and rangy young man ... his dress was bizarre ... huge dark glasses (which) accentuated the thinness of his hairy face ... strong nicotine-stained teeth."
Raymond's view of life in Jamaica is revealing.
"Life," he says, "don't wort' much in dis country, so man ha fi bar an' grill up dem 'ouse an' put burglar alarm an' 'dem t'ings deh, an 'ha' guardsman an' guard-dog an' gun fi protec dem. Is de runnings in dis country now."
CUMBERSOME
I found parts of the first few chapters heavy and cumbersome with so many 'quotes' from the newspapers on the Braeton shooting, Tivoli Gardens and the country's soaring murder rate.
Later in the book, Cousins introduces the reader to Bateman and Raymond's grandfather 'Pappy', an endearing, crotchety old man with an infectious laugh who lives in "an old green and white house" in Trench Town "with a twisted mango tree leaning over his neighbour's rusty zinc fence."
'Pappy' is a fountain of wisdom. At one point, Bateman says to him "Why do (those men) have to make so much effort to keep away from one another's throat?"
To which Pappy replies "Deep seated anger, hard life and frustration."
Cousin's description of the domino players and their sessions under "a poinciana tree in full orange-coloured bloom" is vivid and very true to life.
He writes: "Six love to rhatid," triumphantly shouted the smallest of the men, aggressively slamming down some pieces of the dominoes in rapid succession, rising with hand erect above his shoulder to render his dramatic coup de grace.
EXCITING CLIMAX
After chapter five, the story picks up speed as Bateman links up with an old school friend, Vincent Chew, who turns out to be a pivotal person in the story.
Chew, a one time altar boy at the 'Cathedral', went on to become an acolyte and later a novice.
He is now the proprietor of Chew's Family Market and employs Raymond to do jobs for him that involve Chew's boat the Sea Bird.
As with stories that relate tales of murder and deceit, this one has many twists and turns, but it is never too complicated for the reader to follow as it builds to an exciting, but not totally unexpected climax.
The narrative touches on the Shiprider's Agreement, on dancehall, drop-pan, cockfighting, the pollution in Kingston Harbour and violence in West Kingston.
From Chapter 14, Harbour Cruise Chew "Piece de Resistance", the pace of the story picks up and the excitement builds from one page to the next.
Although it is a story of murder and mayhem, the author does not at any time use his considerable talent to describe scenes that are unnecessarily revolting or disgusting. The story is gripping but never frightening or sickening.
DRAWBACKS
The one drawback that I found in this otherwise first-class production was the number of grammatical errors and other flaws in the editing scattered throughout the publication. For example:
"How long did, you know him"?
"The police is seeking to contact one Joseph Needham who who may assist them in their investigation".
"Oh, yeah! Pardon my error", Pappy apologized. But man of di world an' social animal seems di same t'ing to me. I see no difference".
Buzzer was a lean and slanky sixfooter.
Mr. Cousins has received numerous awards, including the JCDC bronze medal in story writing as well as The Gleaner Silver Pen Award. I look forward to reading his next novel.
