After a long absence, a woman returns to the Afro-Caribbean community of Chocó on Colombia’s Pacific coast, writing to a friend of her homecoming and establishing herself anew in the town’s political and creative spheres…

When this one arrived as part of this year’s Charco Press subscription, I thought I’d read the first few pages to get a feel for it…before I knew it, I found myself two-thirds of the way through - it’s an enjoyable read. A lovely read, in fact, though that risks selling it short - lovely doesn’t mean light or fluffy and Vidal manages to touch on quite a few important themes, including identity, friendship, relationships, creativity, community and pursuing happiness.

Although Colombia’s racial history is not the main focus of the book, it’s there as an undertone. There’s a very strong sense of place to the novel and also a strong sense of unapologetically being of and belonging to a certain place, which I loved. The narrator’s relationship to her identity and her pursuit of her own happiness through creativity both feel rather radical.

Written as a one-sided series of correspondence to a friend, it’s also an ode to friendship and to maintaining a friendship through letter-writing - sometimes you can convey more intimate thoughts in writing than could ever be shared in conversation.

There are a number of smaller story threads that weave through the book - since I share the narrator’s sentiments about the soothing effect of the ocean, naturally I enjoyed that little thread. As for the project bringing stories and poetry to kids in deprived areas, well, what reader isn’t going to find that heart-warming?

A lovely story of being of a place, unapologetic identity, friendship and pursuing happiness told through a series of letters to a friend.