Ten Days in Jamaica

Following the hearts and desires of Caribbean people in search of love and the means to make a life in unfamiliar places, this collection of short stories travels from the lush hills and sunny beaches of Jamaica to London, New York, and Calcutta. The tales observe their characters in their contacts with family, tourists, and strangers, as they seek to remake themselves while dealing with the baggage of past experience, both personal and historic. In the title story, a Jamaican youth hustles a living as an escort to tourists. In "Fevergrass Tea," a young woman returns from New York to her hometown in Jamaica to find that she no longer understands the subtle languages of class distinction and romantic dalliance. In "Elephant Dreams," black Londoner Jewel's childhood dreams of riding an elephant lead her to India, where her lover Arjun will introduce her to his family. Ifeona Fulani shows her characters at points where self-discovery is possible and they can reach an awareness of where the sharp edges of desire and reality meet head on.

Ifeona Fulani is the author of Seasons of Dust, and her short stories have been published in the Beacon’s Best anthology series, Black Renaissance/Renaissance Noire, and Small Axe. She has taught fiction workshops in the United States, the UK, and France and currently teaches in the writing concentration in the liberal studies program at New York University. She lives in New York City.