Customer Reviews

The Village Curtain: A Jamaica Collection

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Every culture has its curtain, and some curtains are more closely drawn than others. The Village Curtain by Tony Tame is a collection of related stories that give us a glimpse behind the curtain of a Jamaican coastal fishing community. Two mysteries lie behind this curtain. First, what communal secrets do the villagers keep from outsiders, and from themselves? And second, did the outside world put out a contract to kill the villager called Michael? "Of course you don't get mixed up with outsiders," the village elder Mr. James tells Michael. "Sharks maybe, but them is easy to handle."

Behind the idyllic appearance of the coastal villagers' lives we catch a glimpse of their amoral struggle for daily survival as the outside world encroaches upon their ancient ways, which the author symbolically captures when Michael takes Dr. Mitchell fishing one morning. The white doctor, who calls his posting "the place behind God's back," catches a kingfish. "Suddenly he felt as though he was connected to the very heart of a primeval force that was engaged in some ancient life and death dispute." In this primeval struggle lies the folly of man's behavior, and the genius of this collection of Jamaican stories lies in the author's wisdom to not choose sides.

The Village Curtain is a beautifully crafted collection of stories that bring to mind Santiago's struggle with the elements in Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea, (not to mention his less is more style of writing), but it leaves you wondering just how idyllic life can be when you compromise your integrity merely to stay alive. This is an intriguing collection of stories as rich in the intimate knowledge of Jamaican fishing culture as it is in its steely sardonic humor, and a pleasure to read. I recommend it highly.

By Orest Stocco, author of What Would I Say Today If I Were To Die Tomorrow? and the novel MY UNBORN CHILD, to be released by Savant Books Feb. 2010

Its unusual for a book to entertain and educate and make some relevant commentary all in one. Tony Tame has managed it by capturing some sharp humour in an understated way which appeals a lot to Brits like me, while helpin us understand how the rural fishing uindustry in Jamaica can be as cruel as it can be kind. As anyone who has lived in Jamaica can attest, the characters are real abd the village community which to the outsider appears open until it actually matters is a revelation.

The book features politicians, fishermen, a dream filled American woman, policemen - all portrayed in a slightly ironic yet real feeling way.

I read this book on my daily train commute into London each day for a week and irrited my fellow sleeping commuters on the 6.30 am train by laughing out loud sometimes and gasping others.

Well done Tony - a great read.

A highly entertaining collection of stories about the lives of Jamaicans in the fishing villages of this beautiful island. The writing is so evocative that you will almost smell and feel the salt air on your skin. Intrigue and duplicity abound as the characters strive to survive on this island "paradise". The author is himself a fisherman and the descriptions of the various methods of fishing employed by these people are both harrowing and hilarious - and true! A "must read" for those who are interested in a look at how some Jamaicans really live and in a story well-told.

The Village Curtain takes the outsider on an intense journey inside the captivating lives of a Jamaican fishing community. Situated on the island's coastal region, the characters exist literally and figuratively on the edge of paradise, surrounded by immense beauty and yet often having to fight to survive amidst it. The novel offers a memorable and worthwhile experience for the reader who emerges from it feeling as though he has travelled into areas of the country often inaccessible to tourists... and the result is that you will never look at a postcard of Jamaica quite the same way again.

During the last few days of an Island vacation, you walk the beach and realize your time is almost up. The beaches are so beautiful, the vegetation so lush and the people warm and fascinating. You have been taking pictures non-stop and have been especially intrigued by the small fishing villages with their idyllic lifestyle. Why can't you figure a way to stay here and be a part of this paradise?
With deep affection, Tony Tame tells you what lies behind the curtain of village life and also what lies beneath the surface of the turquoise waters. Because he is an Islander and a fisherman, he knows that the lives that looks so simple and lovely to the outsider are in reality complex and even dangerous for the people who are living them.
Tame is a storyteller of rare gifts, one who can make you laugh out loud but seconds later make you weep. If you are going to Jamaica, take this book along to deepen your understanding of Paradise. If you have already fallen in love with the Island, read it to be transported back-- scents, tastes, sounds and impossibilities.