Golden Child

A Novel

By: Claire Adam

Narrated by: Obi Abili

A deeply affecting debut novel set in Trinidad, following the lives of a family as they navigate impossible choices about scarcity, loyalty, and love

Winner of the Desmond Elliott Prize • "Golden Child is a stunning novel written with force and beauty. Though true to herself, Adam's work stands tall beside icons of her tradition like V.S. Naipaul." (Jennifer Clement, author of Gun Love)

Rural Trinidad: a brick house on stilts surrounded by bush; a family, quietly surviving, just trying to live a decent life. Clyde, the father, works long, exhausting shifts at the petroleum plant in Southern Trinidad; Joy, his wife, looks after the home. Their two sons, 13 years old, wake early every morning to travel to the capital, Port of Spain, for school. They are twins but nothing alike: Paul has always been considered odd, while Peter is widely believed to be a genius, destined for greatness.

When Paul goes walking in the bush one afternoon and doesn't come home, Clyde is forced to go looking for him, this child who has caused him endless trouble already, and who he has never really understood. And as the hours turn to days, and Clyde begins to understand Paul’s fate, his world shatters - leaving him faced with a decision no parent should ever have to make.

Like the Trinidadian landscape itself, Golden Child is both beautiful and unsettling, a resoundingly human story of aspiration, betrayal, and love.

Praise for Golden Child

"In fluid and uncluttered prose, Golden Child weaves an enveloping portrait of an insular social order in which the claustrophobic support of family and neighbors coexists with an omnipresent threat from the same corners." (The New York Times Book Review)

"[A] powerful debut...a devastating family portrait - and a fascinating window into Trinidadian society." (People)

"[An] emotionally potent debut novel...with a spare, evocative style, Adam (a Trinidad native) evokes the island’s complexity during the mid-'80s, when the novel is mostly set: the tenuous relationship between Hindus like Clyde’s family and the twins’ Catholic schoolmaster, assassinations and abductions hyped by lurid media headlines, resources that attract carpetbagging oil companies but leave the country largely impoverished." (USA Today)

©2019 Claire Adam (P)2019 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Throughout this stunning portrait of Trinidad’s multicultural diversity, and one family’s sacrifices, soaring hopes and ultimate despair, Adam weaves a poetic lightness and beauty that will transfix readers." (Publishers Weekly starred review)

"Adam's writing is luxuriant, evoking the atmospheric island setting and the complicated, worried lives lived under a near-constant sense of impending violence.... Heartbreaking and lovely, this is an important work by a promising new voice." (Booklist starred review)

"Fascinating...an incisive and loving portrait of contemporary Trinidad." (Kirkus)

A heartbreaking family narrative

Slice of life meets a muster thriller - this story takes you through the heartbreaking choices people are sometimes required to make. Beautifully read by Obi Abili.

Slow beginning, well worth the listen in the end.

At first, I had a hard time sticking with this story. Then it quickly draws you in and doesn't let go. A little of a switch in the middle, but all in all I'm very glad I bought this title. Narration was beautiful. I highly recommend Golden Child.

On the edge of my car seat

I don’t understand why some of the other reviews mentioned the narrator sounding annoyed and the main character being unlikeable. I 100% disagree. I thought the narrator did an excellent job, especially with the different voices. Very authentic sounding! And Clyde was a very genuine, real and believable character. He was a simple man who knew his country very well, a realist. Excellent audible that I would recommend to anyone, especially someone familiar with island culture. I literally wanted to drive to work to hear more of the story. Riveting.

Unexpected

A unique book - did not go in the direction I expected. But I felt that the author followed the path with an authentic and committed voice.

Golden Child

This audible book is fantastic. The narrator is outstanding and really gives the feeling that you are stepping into the story. Wonderful performance, very moving book.

Compelling

This is heart wrenching and the bluntness and plainness of the story, happy and sad parts, I think are intentional. I’ve read some opinions that readers were underwhelmed. I think it is meant to give you that feeling, that hard times are suffered by everyone, in some places more so. It’s the helpless acceptance of it that is so heartbreaking. I really liked this book, and I’m so touched by the feeling it gives.

Most Brilliant Narration

I could not put this book down. Likely the best narration of any book I’ve hear, simply brilliant. Obi Abili is extremely talented.Mesmerizing story . I highly recommend this book.

Narrator ruins story

The story itself is pretty good- with the most engrossing character being the country of Trinidad, itself. However, the narrator and whomever edited the audio ruins it. At times, you can literally hear the narrator's exasperation/boredom/annoyance with reading the book.

The writing!!!

The writing was amazing!!! I can see it being a movie. I really enjoyed the story line.

Engrossing

The plot definitely held my interest from beginning to end. The detailed description was a pleasure to read. Worse part was the narrator - while his accent was wonderful and brought the setting alive his voice modulated in an odd way which made it difficult to find a suitable volume to listen to the book. So you have to be constantly turning the volume up and down.