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Sugar

An Ethnographic Novel

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Sugar

By: Edward Narain, Tarryn Philips
Narrated by: Vivien Carter
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Summary

In Suva, the bustling capital of Fiji, a tropical cyclone is looming. In this city of dazzling contradictions, three strangers are living worlds apart. Hannah is a young Australian expat who volunteers at a local health organization while leading a heady life of house parties and weekend getaways. Isikeli is a teenager from the informal settlement who has given up on his childhood dream of playing rugby and cares for his diabetic grandmother. Rishika is an Indo-Fijian historian who put her career on hold when she got married, only to find that her once compassionate husband has become increasingly estranged. When a brutal murder causes their worlds to collide, this unlikely trio must search for answers. Along the way, they are each forced to confront uncomfortable truths about development, its darker side, and their place within it.

Based on a combination of long-term research and lived experience, this compelling ethnographic novel reveals the hidden ways global inequality and violence play out in the developing world. Keenly observed and full of heart, Sugar is an intimate portrayal of grief, friendship, and culture clash that will prompt new ways of thinking about the world.

©2024 University of Toronto Press (P)2024 University of Toronto Press Historical Fiction World Literature Heartfelt
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This was my first experience of an ethnographic novel, and I found it quietly rewarding. The rich portrayal of Indo-Fijian culture, customs, and everyday life were really insightful. The themes of racism, inequality, and corruption are sensitively woven throughout. While the crime plot itself didn’t always grip me, the novel succeeds as a cultural lens rather than a page-turner. I chose it deliberately as my second book set in Fiji, hoping to gain insight ahead of engaging with an Indo-Fijian customer, and in that respect it delivered well, offering useful context and meaningful conversation topics.

Rich portrait of Fijian life

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