The Reading Warehouse

Master storyteller Aristophane's The Zabime Sisters takes a keen look at some of the universal experiences of children on the cusp of growing up, in the fascinating setting of Guadeloupe. Aristophane's bold, graphic brushwork weaves a wild texture through this gentle, clear-eyed tale.

On the first day of summer vacation, teenaged sisters M'Rose, Elle, and C lina step out into the tropical heat of their island home and continue their headlong tumble toward adulthood. Boys, schoolyard fights, petty thievery, and even illicit alcohol make for a heady mix, as The Zabime Sisters indulge in a little summertime freedom. The dramatic backdrop of a Caribbean island provides a study of contrasts--a world that is both lush and wild, yet strangely small and intimate--which echoes the contrasts of the sisters themselves, who are at once worldly and wonderfully na ve.