A book that perfectly balances memoir and history, interweaving a cross-cultural love story with the larger history of the colonial encounter 'Christina Thompson triumphs by ensuring that her history informs the personal story and that the autobiographical material reflects the history back in microcosm. From flashing cutlasses and conch trumpets in 1642 to nappies and ailing parents in 2000, she alters the focus within a few pages from wide angle to zoom to remarkable effect; indeed this book would make a wonderful film'