Volcano in Paradise by Phil Davison
Going with the pyroclastic flow
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Your support makes all the difference.Volcanic eruptions are among Earth's most formidable catastrophes. They transform landscapes, destroy wildlife and devastate communities, leaving twisted burnt corpses. One of the first recorded eruptions occurred in AD79, when Vesuvius destroyed Pompeii. It inspired numerous Roman writers. The most recent, in the Caribbean island of Montserrat, has inspired only a memorable political gaffe.
Volcano in Paradise is a lively and at times vivid and moving account of the series of eruptions in Montserrat, and their political ramifications. Since 1995, they have forced over half the 11,000 inhabitants abroad and buried the capital, Plymouth. The remaining islanders are excluded from two-thirds of the land.
Until 1995, this tiny British colony was famous only as a home to recording studios used by countless stars, from Stevie Wonder to Paul McCartney. It was also the source of one of the most popular soca tunes in history, the portentously titled "Hot, hot, hot" by Arrow. These musicians repaid their debt to the disaster-ridden island in 1997 with a Music for Montserrat concert at the Albert Hall.
But a British politician's remarks were less charitable. Clare Short, the cabinet minister responsible for overseas development, accused islanders who had seen their homes disappear beneath pyroclastic flows of "hysterical scaremongering" and of "wanting golden elephants".
Fortunately, Her Majesty's representatives were a tad more sensitive. The then governor, Frank Savage, emerges as a decent chap, as does the island's police commissioner, Frank Hooper. And herein lies a problem with Davison's account. It gives the impression that the disaster was something that mostly affected officials, and white officials at that. Consequently, it unwittingly replays an all too familiar cultural message: white man rescues black natives, yet again.
Two Montserratians figure in Davison's telling epilogue: the broadcaster Rose Willock and the governor's dog, Winston. Hundreds of Montserratians were relocated to Britain, many now living in Hackney, east London. But the author, who claims to have visited the island since 1995, has not troubled himself with following the trajectory of displacement of even one islander. We do know the fate of the dog.
The reviewer's latest novel is 'Duppy Conqueror', published by Flamingo
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