From the national bestselling author of Waiting in Vain and Satisfy My Soul comes a sexy, witty collection of connected stories set on San Carlos, a tiny island with an old volcano in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning the early 1900s up to modern times, the stories trace the intersecting lives of travelers, expatriates, and local folks in ways that shock, illuminate, and reveal. From the American photographer who finds her world disturbed by new forms of love and lust, to a charismatic priest confronted by the earthly perks of fame and stardom, the diverse mix of characters are united by the universal search for love and understanding--a challenge on an island simmering with issues of politics, power, and race. Written with poetic grace and titillating candor, each story shines against its own tableau--World War II, the rise of Fidel Castro, Mt. Pelee devastating Martinique, import-export trading, Bob Marley in the days before his music echoed all around the world. As men and women fall in love, marry and remarry, face moral conflicts and new identities, the volcano sees it all. From plantation days to the roots of revolution, it is a silent witness to the turbulent century that engulfs this tiny island of eternal humor, passion, and allure.
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“No one describes the wonders and aches of love as sensuously as Colin Channer, and Channer has no rival when it comes to capturing the rhythmic beauty of island patois on the page. In Passing Through, Channer’s silky prose is at its absolute finest; the stories are interwoven like a tapestry.”
— Z.Z. Packer, author of Drinking Coffee Elsewhere
“Colin Channer is a wonderfully funny, piercing, crafty, and compassionate writer, and Passing Through is a remarkable literary achievement...An exciting...contribution to the world of the short story.”
— Dan Chaon, New York Times bestselling author of Await Your Reply“Channer is a gifted storyteller. He marshals the weighty themes of love, sex, race, class, and progress into an epic and vibrant narrative.”
— Washington Post“The work is a collection of linked stories that feel more sophisticated than anything else he has writte...In Passing Through, and in all his work, Channer exhibits a remarkable ability to depict intimacy between black men and women.”
— Globe and Mail“Jumping into Passing Through, the third book by Jamaican-American author Colin Channer, is akin to visiting a foreign country and sampling its exotic cuisine and unique culture. It is an experience that teaches, entertains, and affirms the universality of our collective human experience.”
— Virginia Pilot“A splendid collection by one of the Caribbean diaspora’s finest writers. These tales are masterful distillations that teem with humor, with passion, with hope. Channer’s compassion never fails to amaze.”
— Junot Diaz, author of This Is How You Lose Her“Passing Through takes you to the islands, into the nitty-gritty of being an islander...If you can’t take a trip, take this as a little taste.”
— Toure, author of Soul City“Passing Through reveals a writer at the top of his form; a writer, that is, who has managed to bring wit and empathy to his portrayal of characters that he clearly adores and understands. Passing Through is at the vanguard of new Caribbean fiction.”
— Kwame Dawes, author of Bob Marley Lyrical Genius" Not as well written as I expected. It didn't give me a strong sense of setting and place as I hoped. The characters all seemed to be pretty much the same person with a different name. All the men and all the women seemed carbon copies of each other. "
— David, 1/3/2012" Not as well written as I expected. It didn't give me a strong sense of setting and place as I hoped. The characters all seemed to be pretty much the same person with a different name. All the men and all the women seemed carbon copies of each other. "
— David, 9/22/2011" Not as well written as I expected. It didn't give me a strong sense of setting and place as I hoped. The characters all seemed to be pretty much the same person with a different name. All the men and all the women seemed carbon copies of each other. "
— David, 4/18/2011" Not as well written as I expected. It didn't give me a strong sense of setting and place as I hoped. The characters all seemed to be pretty much the same person with a different name. All the men and all the women seemed carbon copies of each other. "
— David, 4/18/2011Colin Channer is the author of the national bestselling novels Waiting in Vain and Satisfy My Soul and the novella I’m Still Waiting. In 1998 his influential debut novel Waiting in Vain was selected as a Critic’s Choice by the Washington Post Book World,which described it as a “clear redefinition of the Caribbean novel.” Waiting in Vain was also selected as Book of the Summer by Time Out New York and excerpted in Hot Spots: The Best Erotic Writing in Modern Fiction, which placed him in the company of writers such as Russell Banks, E. L. Doctorow, Don DeLillo, and David Foster Wallace.
Robin Miles, named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine, has twice won the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration, an Audie Award for directing, and many Earphones Awards. Her film and television acting credits include The Last Days of Disco, Primary Colors, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Law & Order, New York Undercover, National Geographic’s Tales from the Wild, All My Children, and One Life to Live. She regularly gives seminars to members of SAG and AFTRA actors’ unions, and in 2005 she started Narration Arts Workshop in New York City, offering audiobook recording classes and coaching. She holds a BA degree in theater studies from Yale University, an MFA in acting from the Yale School of Drama, and a certificate from the British American Drama Academy in England.
Dion Graham is an award-winning narrator named a “Golden Voice” by AudioFile magazine. He has been a recipient of the prestigious Audie Award numerous times, as well as Earphones Awards, the Publishers Weekly Listen Up Awards, IBPA Ben Franklin Awards, and the ALA Odyssey Award. He was nominated in 2015 for a Voice Arts Award for Outstanding Narration. He is also a critically acclaimed actor who has performed on Broadway, off Broadway, internationally, in films, and in several hit television series. He is a graduate of Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts, with an MFA degree in acting.