Passiontide

Four women spark a revolution on a Caribbean island – the electrifying new novel from the Costa-winning author of The Mermaid of Black Conch.

Early one morning, at the close of St Colibri’s carnival, a young female steel-pan player is found dead beneath a cannonball tree. It is a discovery that will transform the lives of everyone on this small island.

As the days pass, this shocking event draws together four women. There’s Sharleen, a journalist with an eye for the real story. Her childhood friend Tara, a pink-haired, straight-talking local activist. Gigi, the ‘notorious’ founder of the Port Isabella Sex Workers Collective. And Daisy, first lady of St Colibri, who is haunted by a disappearance in her own family decades ago.

In a community in which women’s voices are often silenced and violence against them is overlooked time after time, the group soon find themselves compelled to speak out – and to act. But even they could never have foreseen the consequences of their courage…

About the Author

Monique Roffey was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad. She is the author of eight novels and a memoir. The Mermaid of Black Conch won the Costa Book of the Year and the Costa Novel Award 2020. It was shortlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize 2021, the Goldsmiths Prize 2020 and the Republic of Consciousness Prize 2021. Monique Roffey is a Professor at the Manchester Writing School at Manchester Metropolitan University and a tutor for the National Writers Centre.

Reviews

"Passiontide is a bold rallying cry of a novel. Vital, enraging and brilliant. I loved it" —Sarah Winman, author of Still Life

"Roffey’s world-building power is evident on every page… It dramatises a full-throated campaign for change" ―Guardian

"A sensual, ferocious subversion of the island police-procedural. If The White Lotus were a modern feminist thriller, this would be it... A grown-up treat and cri de cœur for a better world" -- Lalline Paull, author of The Bees and Pod

"Beautiful and important. Passiontide is a resounding testament to the rebellious spirit and bravery of Caribbean women" —Safiya Sinclair, author of How to Say Babylon

"A tour de force Caribbean novel of female revolution that will keep you reading all hours… A compelling and unforgettable read" ―Glamour, Best Books of June

Dimensions: 15.3 x 2.7 x 23.3 cm