Childhood friends Rosa and Zuela, each trapped in a dysfunctional and abusive marriage, plot the murder of their respective husbands. In the small town of Otahiti, Trinidad, a fisherman finds the body of a white woman washed ashore. News of her death travels through town fast. Only the wealthiest of plantation families own telephones, and there is but one radio in all of Otahiti. Nevertheless, by noon the following day everyone knows about what happened.
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Rosa is home with her husband Cedric. She hears about the murder on the radio. She's in the kitchen preparing dinner for the two of them. They have dinner together in tense silence. Things aren't going well between them. Cedric was sweet and gentle with Rosa during their courtship. Now he berates her daily over some feigned offense: too-hot coffee, a stain on his pants that she didn't clean off. Cedric frequently goes on alcoholic binges, drinking in excess for days at a time. During these times, he physically abuses Rosa. One night after he beats her relentlessly, Rosa vows to murder him and bury his body in the sea. She plans to put strike him on the head, put him in a body bag and drown him. She imagines a fisherman finding his body, the same way the fisherman of Freeman's bay found the body of the old white woman.
Cedric comes off his binge. He apologizes and promises to change. He fears that Rosa will leave him for someone else. Cedric is insecure in his marriage to this white, wealthy, beautiful young woman. He is ashamed of his own poor beginnings. Cedric is proud that he's become headmaster of the local elementary school, but he feels that he still has to prove himself to Rosa's mother. When the couple attends family functions on Rosa's side, Cedric feels out of place. He believes people are talking about him and mocking him derisively of him behind his back.
At a highly-anticipated summer gala, Rosa learns that her mother and father are planning divorce. Rosa's mother, Clara, suspects infidelity. She believes her husband is involved with a Trinidadian farm girl or two. Cedric continues his pattern of alcoholic binging. The household alternates between periods of calm and periods of belligerent rage and abuse.
Meanwhile, Rosa's childhood friend is also having thoughts of murder. Her husband kidnapped her from her home in Venezuela. He offered her family money and promised to raise Zuela as a daughter. Instead, he brought her to Trinidad and treated her as his wife. Zuela weighs out sugar orders for the general store that her husband owns. She has ten children, all of whom experience abuse and mistreatment from their father. When Zuela discovers that her husband has sexually molested on of their daughters, she decides to murder him and run away with her kids.
Zuela and Rosa each make pilgrimage to Laventille, a secluded region of Trinidad known to house many powerful spirits. The women pray for strength and resolve as they contemplate the murder of their husbands. Each struggles with the weight of their guilt over considering such a thing, and with the fear of getting caught. The two recognize each other along the path. They reunite; each telling the other the story of how she came to this place in her life. They promise to keep in touch, no matter what happens.
Rosa returns home to find Cedric once again apologetic and promising to change. He's even consulted with a priest and a doctor. Her hardened resolve melts at the sight of Cedric's pitiful attempts to change himself. She knows, deep down, that neither she nor the man she chose to marry is every going to change. Rosa is resigned to living out the life she has chosen, vowing now to discard any false hope that things can every get better.
Zuela returns home, vindicated and strengthened by her pilgrimage. In her capacity as household cook, Zuela orchestrates her husband's demise. She feeds him plum cake containing a lethal dose of opium. Zuela and her children disappear into the freedom of night.
Best part of story, including ending:
The tale is quite depressing with little in the way of redemption or hope. Rosa's story ends on a particularly hopeless note. The story may realistically portray the hardships endured by women trapped in abusive relationships. Still, we'd rather their stories be infused with a bit more hope, resourcefulness, and agency.
Best scene in story:
When they meet on the footpaths in Laventille, Rosa and Zuela reminisce about their childhood. They remember how they danced and played around a hibiscus bush between both their homes. The women recall the joys associated with that bush: the scent of its flowers, the taste of its tea. Recalling these simple pleasures as adults, they experience a brief, nostalgic joy sufficient to remind them that life isn't all bad.
Opinion about the main character:
Rosa is a highly sympathetic character; she's tugged between the push and pull of various forces inside her. On the one hand, there's her codependent unhealthy love of Cedric. She's aware that she should leave him or figure out some way to unshackle herself from the liaison. At the same time, she's overwhelmed by feelings of powerlessness. Not only does she genuinely enjoy Cedric's company when he's in his period's of calm, she's also concerned with protecting her family name and staying true to her values of fidelity and loyalty. Sometimes her passivity is annoying, but she's trying to free herself. We can relate to the problems and struggles she experiences in the attempt.
