In her new novella, “Scarlet Birthright: What They Left Behind”, Trinidadian-American writer Scarlet Ibis James has written a memorable and affecting novel that explores Caribbean culture and father-daughter relationships. Neither a simple family drama nor a straightforward coming-of-age story, this work occupies the liminal space between Edwidge Danticat’s Breath, Eyes, Memory and Tayari Jones’s An American Marriage—a story where intimate personal drama meets the broader themes of diaspora identity against the vivid backdrop of Trinidadian culture and generational trauma.
From the opening scene, James introduces readers to the sultry world of 1969 Trinidad through the eyes of nineteen-year-old Joromi Enoch, a confident DJ whose Friday night fêtes pulse with steelpan rhythms. When a woman walks into his party during the dry season’s crackling heat, Joromi quickly finds himself in a passionate romance. However, an unexpected pregnancy forces him to confront what he believes is “the right thing”—abandoning both his first love and their unborn child for marriage, and the promise of the American dream. What follows is a tale of his choice and the consequences.
Perhaps the book’s greatest strength lies in James’s imaginative use of shifting perspectives to create a panoply of voices that reveal the full emotional cost of Joromi’s decision. The story unfolds through the eyes of Joromi himself, his wife Margaret, his parents Mary and Cecil, and ultimately his daughter Trisha, each voice bringing a different shade to the story that transforms what could have been a simple story of abandonment into a gripping novel. Joromi emerges as a character of complexity. James portrays his fear, pride, and longing with unflinching honesty, revealing his attempts to fulfill societal expectations of stability and responsibility.
James also demonstrates skill in rendering Trinidad not merely as a backdrop but as a living, breathing character central to the novel’s emotional landscape. Her lyrical but very readable prose blends the musicality of Trinidadian dialect with lush sensory details that immerse readers in the heat, sounds, and rhythms of Caribbean life. Greatly appreciated is the inclusion of a glossary of Trinidadian terms, which will be helpful for many reasons unfamiliar with the cultural context of the novel. This thoughtful addition allows the story to retain its authenticity while remaining accessible to a wide audience.
Despite the variety of voices, Trisha predominates in the latter portion of the book. Raised by her grandparents and shaped by the silences surrounding her origin story, her chapters are tender, questioning, and filled with the ache of a daughter trying to understand the man who left her behind. Never overwrought, James’s prose balances realism with creating a plain but distinctive writing style that serves both the story’s intimate needs and its broader thematic concerns. Her writing is immersive and rhythmic, incorporating Caribbean musicality into every page while maintaining accessibility for readers who may struggle with the dialect.
To sum up, this book represents a great contribution to Caribbean-American literature that will particularly appeal to readers who enjoy fiction that explores multigenerational family sagas and diverse voices with powerful stories. At only around 150 pages, this is ultimately literary fiction that can be appreciated by a wide audience, with beautiful prose and deeply personal storytelling throughout. “Scarlet Birthright” represents an impressive work that establishes James as a writer to watch in contemporary Caribbean fiction.
You can get your copy of “Scarlet Birthright: What They Left Behind” here!
