In this delightful, fast moving and often humorous tale, Guyanese-Canadian writer Kennard Ramphal transports the reader to the village of Canal Number 2 Polder in British Guiana as it's about to achieve nationhood from Britain. SLIPPERY OCHRO and his wife PHULMATTIE, notorious for their free-wheeling and cunning lifestyle, are about to inveigle their way into the lives of retirees MOHABIR and his wife DULARIE, who are content to live out their existence in peace, enjoying the fruits of their labour. Little do they know that Slippery and his wife have other plans for them.
Ramphal provides a perceptive backdrop into the lives of workers and plantation life in sugar estates in Guyana, along with a pervasive "rum culture" existing in the rural areas during the 60's when this novel is set. "
Give them an inch and they'll take a mile
, states an English proverb, and so goes the story of Mohabir and Dularie when they allow Slippery Ochro and his wife Phulmattie to build a small house on their property. The setting is the rustic village of Canal No. 2 Polder in British Guyana, prior to the country's independence in 1966. The residents earn their living from farming and working on the Wales Sugar Estate. and lead simple lives in traditional fashion. The characters speak in their local English dialect, which is skillfully used to develop the plot as the timeless story unfolds."
-Elaine Balpataky, Retired teacher/librarian- "A trip down memory lane...a delightful look into the rustic country life in Guyana in the 1960s and 1970s...something for everyone, and the scheming, the simple innocence, the rum shop culture, the sexual innuendoes, the greed, and the wise counsel of the village fathers, make for enjoyable reading. Kennard has a gift of bringing his characters to life as the story unravels."
-Carl B. L. Morgan, Colonel (Ret)- "In this delightful, fast moving and often humorous tale, Guyanese Canadian writer Ken Ramphal transports us to the nostalgic village of Canal Number 2 Polder. We are swept along by the exploits of the village huckster and confidence trickster, aptly nicknamed Slippery Ochro, and his wife Phulmattie."
-Ram Jagessar-
Author:
The Man Who Broke the Lottery
"Ramphal's gripping tale is based on two real-life characters, but we all know people like Slippery Ochro and Phulmattie. Ramphal's work is universal. A must read."
Roop Misir, Ph.D.
OAC Biology Workbook-Student's Edition