Jamaica is transforming, the tides of change are rising, and the one-time boss of Chinatown finds himself cast adrift and force to ride the waves of changes. However it was not meant to be, as the political violence escalates in the 1960s the lines between Pao’s socialist ideals and private ambitions become blurred. As the locals danced to the day of independence, all was hopeful that for once Jamaicans hold their country’s destiny in their own hands. They begin a relationship that continues even after Pao marries Fay Wong, the ‘acceptable’ but headstrong daughter of a wealthy Chinese merchant, Henry Wong. But when Gloria Campbell, a local Jamaican prostitute, comes to him for help he is drawn to her beauty and strength. He sets his sights on progressing in life. When Pao takes over the family’s affairs he becomes a powerful man. They are to live with Zhang, the ‘godfather’ of Chinatown, who mesmerises Pao with stories of glorious Chinese socialism on one hand, and the reality of his protection business in Jamaica on the other. Fourteen-year-old Yang Pao steps off the ship from China with his mother and brother, after his father has died fighting for the revolution.

The only reason I read it was because I haven’t read a book set in Jamaica before, moreover about a Chinese man in Jamaica, how unique is that? I vacillate between returning without reading or keeping it. This book Pao was left in my shelf for a long time.

Gloria by Kerry Young