(2003), the first novel by contemporary Indo-Caribbean writer Ramabai Espinet, foregrounds the importance of healing the wounds of trauma and reconciling with the ancestral past. Espinet examines two major types of trauma in this work: firstly, gender and culture-specific trauma, in which she highlights the devastating effects of male antagonism towards female sexuality and, secondly, the trauma of displacement, a recurring theme in the literature from the region. Espinet also challenges what she calls the “phenomenon of invisibility” by creating female characters who challenge the stereotypical Indian woman in the Caribbean concealed behind her traditional head dress, in constant seclusion and fearful subservience to men – a common motif in early Indo-Caribbean…
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Citation: Adams, Caryn Rae. "The Swinging Bridge". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 19 January 2017 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=35723, accessed 21 November 2024.]
