Sometimes, when reading a book I often feel the characters it consists are the backbone. I do not know if you have encountered this feeling but I have. The storyline can be flawless but there is a lot that depends on the characters. These characters do not just fill up the pages but they tend to create their own illustration in our minds. For this kind of book, I do believe a writer needs to have a seamless ability to develop such characters and give them air to breathe in between the pages. A Place called Schugara by Joe English is one of that type of book.

The storyline is intriguing as it is based in Caribbean islands. It consists of three main characters: a factory owner from Ohio, an insurance investigator from New York and a bookseller from Chicago. Their fate is tied up together on a little island in the Caribbean. Each of them, offering a variety of background and have their own justification for reaching out on the island. One is after the materialistic missing treasure and another arrives to search for a missing person. Each of them discovers a different experience that is rightly justified by the overall novel. The plot covers all these different characters with a gap in between the timeline of their arrival. The main highlight of the plot is that each character brings on a subplot that adds to the major picture and from time it is unpredictable which is how a reader like is motivated to keep reading it.

The characterisation apart from the main cast is well organized and developed. Every character has its own role to play. The author uses dialogue formation well to switch between the different acts but also uses first-person narrative voice with Chicago bookseller. On reading it, I could say there are different styles of narration mixed to enhance the distinct voices of different characters. This is intriguing. The pace of the novel is steady and helps in moving with the plot. The book is 550 pages long so it also gives a lot of time for the main cast to develop to its fullest and at the same time for the reader to cope with them.

Apart from that, there are different themes that the author tries to address in this book. Themes such as drug wars and the scandal related to a Church clergy are the two highlights. The climax of the novel unfolds in more of a classic Russian literature style. Yes, I am referring to the likes of Dostoyevsky and Chekhov. The book is the result of a highly creative energy put in as the effort. I took my time to read it but I can say it was worth it.

5 out of 5! Recommended.

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