Caryl Phillips Review

Caryl Phillips Extra Credit In the Falling Snow by Caryl Phillips is the story of failure and recovery in the life of one man and of a society moving forward from one idea to another. The story revolves around Keith, a middle-aged second generation Caribbean. The story begins with Keith contemplating about ending a purely physical affair with a 26 year old coworker, Yuvette. Yuvette not being able to take rejection, retaliates by sending out an email about their private affair to all the office employees. Keith is a social worker in the Unit for Race, Equality, Disability and Women’s affair is given a paid vacation. With a flashback, we are known that Keith was married to Annabelle, an upper class white woman who he met at university. The twenty year of marriage ended three years earlier when he confessed to an earlier affair with a coworker. They have a son Laurie, who represents the third generation. During his vacation, he goes from writing a book on music to Annabelle warning him about Laurie’s actions to meeting Dauta to visiting his ill father. keith was raised by his white stepmom, Brenda, while his dad was in the hospital. When his dad came back he threatened Brennda to take his son back. His father has eventually take him back but he was allowed to visit Brenda over the weekends. Keith and his father bonded when his father was very sick. Keith is also seen as a somewhat concerning father. He may have not been there for Lauries during the three years but he wants to me now. He and Anabelle talk to their son and make sure that he doesn’t ruin his life. The novel ends with Laurie about to be a father and Keith and Annabelle may have worked out their differences for Laurie. This novel talks about the more of the experience of the second and third generation and less about the African diaspora or the Middle Passage. The author’s main theme is the differences in the experiences faced