"The reader is invited to blaze a trail through this forest of symbols. The last chapter will shed light on the profound meaning of the fable. But the point is less to capture than to be captivated by the energy, the luxuriance, and the playful solemnity of writing that masterfully melds French, Creole, and yet other voices as well."--L'Express

One Easter Sunday, Madame Ballandra puts her hands together and exclaims: "A miracle!" Baby Pascal is stikingly beautiful, brown in complexion, with gray-green eyes like the sea. But where does he come from? Is he really the child of God? So goes the rumor, and many signs throughout his life will cause this theory to gain ground. From journey to journey and from one community to another, Pascal sets off in search of his origins, trying to understand...

The youngest captain in His Majesty's Navy, with a reputation for landing impossible assignments, Lord Ramage is dispatched to the Caribbean islands of Martinique and Diamond Rock. The mission seems humdrum: barricade the French within Fort Royal. But sent to sea in the Juno with a crew grown restless and undisciplined under the prior command of a drunk, Ramage realizes his vessel may not be up to battle with the French.

Late to school for a third time when he had tried so hard to be punctual, François remembered the picture that would prove his excuse was valid.

In 1940, an American charter boat captain in Martinique gets involved with a young female drifter and some French freedom fighters who are trying to elude local Nazi collaborators.

"A novel in three parts, Mahagony's multiple narrators grapple with the history of slavery on Martinique and their place in the wider world"--