Other Colours

Louise, the book's central character, lived happily in metropolitan Paris with her Caribbean father and Welsh mother until the tragic death of her father. When her mother returns with her to Wales, remarries a white man and has a baby, Louise feels an outsider in her own family in addition to her sense of alienation from the wider society. She eventually decides to run away to London and though this proves a futile gesture, her eyes are nonetheless opened to the possibilities of a fulfilling life in a multi-cultural environment in which she can be socially and politically engaged and in which she can be more intimately in touch with her true artistic and creative self. A satisfying, relevant and thought-provoking read with, incidentally, a touch of romance thrown in for good measure.