Cereus Blooms at NightSet on a fictional Caribbean island in the town of Paradise, "Cerus Blooms at Night" unveils the mystery surrounding Mala Ramchandin and the tempestuous history of her family. At the heart of this bold and seductive novel is an alleged crime committed many years before the story opens. Mala is the aging, notoriously crazy woman suspected of murder who is delivered to the paradise Alms House after a judge finds her unfit to stand trial. When she arrives at her new home, frail and mute, she is placed in the tender care of Tyler, a vivacious male nurse, who becomes her unlikely confidant and the storyteller of Mala's extraordinary life. In luminous, sensual prose that "employs myth and magic reminiscent of Isabel Allende" ( "Out" magazine), Mootoo joins diverse storytelling traditions to explore identity, gender, and violence in a celebrationof our capacity to love despite cruelty and despair. |
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Common terms and phrases
Ambrose Ambrose E Ambrose's asked Aunt Lavinia back stairs began bird Bissey body Boyie breath cereus Chandin Ramchandin chest chief constable child cleaver door drawing room dress El Dorado Park Elsie eyes face father feel felt fence fingers floor front gramo gramophone hair hand head hear heard Hector inside kitchen knew Lantana Lantanacamara Larissa Lai leave legs lips looked Mala Ramchandin Mala's Mama Mammy Mavis Miss Ramchandin Mohanty morning mother moths mouth mudra Nana never night nurses odour Otoh Otoh's Pappy Paradise Pilai plant Pohpoh and Asha porch pulled Reverend Sarah scent Shani Mootoo Shivering Northern Wetlands shrubs side Sister skin sleep smell snails spider silk stared stay stood suddenly tell thing thought tief took tree turned verandah waited walked wall watched whispered window woman wondered words yard وو