Thine is the Kingdom by Garth Buckner

Thine is the Kingdom is Garth Buckner’s fascinating second novel. Set in Nassau, amid the heritage of the Bahamas, it examines what it means to be from, and of, the island. It does so in an elegant and sometimes lush manner. This is mainly the story of a young man, Galvin Blake, who returns to the island after college and a few years spent roaming the world, to gain what he considers his birthright, his citizenship. In the process, Galvin must make some tough and thought provoking choices to achieve his goal. Garth Buckner’s writing is clear and descriptive. His use of Bahamian slang adds a certain authenticity to the dialogue (although, to be honest, I have no way to really confirm its accuracy).

What made Thine is the Kingdom so interesting to me was not only the exotic locale, but the truly real characters which populate the story. “I know these people”, was a realization I came to halfway through the book... even though it is set in a foreign land (to me), the conflicts of class are rather universal - and not just between the high and low, but intra-class conflict as well. These are characters that I feel would be as at home in Northeast Pennsylvania as they are in the Bahamas... the conflict of those who identify themselves as locals with those whom they consider not local is one which has been going on in the area of Pennsylvania I am originally from for quite some time now (there is much more to it than that, but a wanderin' and a ramblin' I will go if I start talking about all that), as it most likely is in many other places - albeit with a different lexicon of slang (blessed be the cutterman) than is used in the Bahamas. This is to say nothing of the upper / lower class conflicts that are examined which are just as timeless and universal. These conflicts are presented in a sometimes stark, sometimes amusing, yet always interesting fashion. Along with adventure and an islander’s look at crime and violence, this book is a worthwhile and quick read. Thine is the Kingdom is a great example of what I’d call “island literature” (I’m not even sure if that is something real, but it should be).

Looks like Thine is the Kingdom is due out here in the states in the beginning of May, make sure to check it out.