We Were Not Kings - by Robert de la Chevotière (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

From island life in the Caribbean to a new beginning in France, a young man comes of age in a sweeping and lyrical novel about family, loss, secrets, and finding freedom from the past.

Eighteen-year-old Salomon Destin graduates high school and anxiously trades life on Guadeloupe in the Caribbean for France to continue his studies.

Strasbourg is his new home. He's carving out a promising new path for himself. And most of all, he's left behind the disorder of so much family drama, including that of a dissolute father, a mother who turns a blind eye to the chaos, his troubled and aimless brother Junior, and Salomon's inherited obligations as peacekeeper. Although one year away, in love for the first time, and an ocean safely separating his old life and new, Salomon is pulled back to the island by the news of a tragedy. As unexpectedly comforting as Guadeloupe is--the food, music, ocean, and sun stirring up beautiful island memories--the traumas of the past remain.

Years later, while facing the echoes of family demons in his own marriage and confronting the stunning secrets and revelations to come, Salomon, and everyone he loves, must find the strength to move forward once and for all. But will freedom come with a price?

Review Quotes

"A deeply moving novel that fearlessly explores the complexities of brotherhood, masculinity, colourism, and what it takes to carve out a good life despite the traumas that follow you. Robert de la Chevotière's writing is luminous and devastatingly magnetic, a mark of a brilliant storyteller we should all keep our eyes on." --Mai Nguyen, New York Times bestselling author of Sunshine Nails