Back in print: an extraordinary first novel by “a writer to watch and to enjoy.”*
Told in the voice of a girl as she moves from childhood into adolescence, Buxton Spice is the story the town of Tamarind Grove: its eccentric families, its sweeping joys, and its sudden tragedies. The novel brings to life 1970s Guyana—a world at a cultural and political crossroads—and perfectly captures a child’s keen observations, sense of wonder, and the growing complexity of consciousness that marks the passage from innocence to experience.
“A superb, and superbly written, novel of childhood and childhood’s end . . . Kempadoo writes in a rich Creole, filling her story with kaleidoscopic images of Guyana’s coastal plains . . . Her story is also one of sexual awakening, and she explores these new feelings with a curiosity and freedom that are refreshing . . . Kempadoo’s novel, like the Buxton Spice mango tree, reveals its secrets, private and political, only sparingly until the bitter end.” —Patrick Markee, New York Times Book Review
“Oonya Kempadoo . . . has written a sexy, stirring, richly poetic semi-autobiographical first novel.” —Gabriella Stern, Wall Street Journal
“As juicy and ripe as the fruits drooping from the Buxton Spice mango tree . . . Kempadoo’s Caribbean argot is precise and fluid, enriching this debut with bawdiness, violence, and raucous humor.” —Los Angeles Times
“There is a salt freshness to Kempadoo’s writing, an immediacy which makes the reader catch breath for pleasure at the recognition of something exactly observed . . . She is a writer to watch and to enjoy, for her warmth, her fine intelligence and her striking use of language.” —Paula Burnett, The Independent (London)*
Julia Blackburn
Marilyn Bowering
Toni Morrison
Jane Hamilton
Suzanne Berne
Marly Swick
Nora Ojka Keller
Barbara Neil
Jacquelyn Mitchard
Hilary Mantel
Karla Kuban
Elizabeth Knox
Barbara Kingsolver
Oonya Kempadoo
Jackie Kay
Jane Hamilton
Maureen Duffy
Julia Darling
Catherine Chidgey
Marilyn Bowering
Julia Blackburn
Suzanne Berne
Andrea Barrett
Beryl Bainbridge
Toni Morrison
Barbara Kingsolver
Ruth Ozeki
Susanna Clarke
Maggie O'Farrell
Tayari Jones
Kamila Shamsie
Naomi Alderman
Lisa McInerney
Ali Smith
Eimear McBride
A.M. Homes
Madeline Miller
Téa Obreht
Barbara Kingsolver
Marilynne Robinson
Rose Tremain
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Lionel Shriver
Andrea Levy
Valerie Martin
Ann Patchett
Kate Grenville
Linda Grant
Suzanne Berne
Carol Shields
Anne Michaels
Helen Dunmore
Tune into host Vick Hope and a line-up of incredible guests on our weekly podcast full of unmissable book recommendations.
Join the Women's Prize newsletter for a chance to win a stack of all 6 brilliant 2023 shortlisted books, and get the latest book news, author features and exciting competitions! (You can unsubscribe at any time)*
