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Reviewed by:
  • Sucre noir by Miguel Bonnefoy
  • James P. Gilroy
Bonnefoy, Miguel. Sucre noir. Rivages, 2017. ISBN 978-2-7436-4057-6. Pp. 207.

The story in this novel is set in an unidentified Caribbean location on the edges of the wilderness and civilization. In a preliminary chapter, we learn about the wreck of Captain Henry Morgan's ship in the seventeenth century, the subsequent loss of life, and the immense treasure of gold and jewels hidden away in his chest. Chapter two moves forward three centuries to relate the story of the Otero family who lives in the same place. The narrative becomes a fascinating tale of three generations of the women in the Otero family and the men in their lives. The central figure throughout most of the work is Serena, the daughter of Candelaria and the adoptive mother of Eva Fuego, a baby rescued from a fire who is left with a permanent scar across her face. There is also a very old woman, the former proprietor of the Otero farm, who comes to visit a locked room at the rear of the house every November first. Although Serena never has the opportunity to go to school, she educates herself. She is a very strong character. She becomes an expert botanist and entomologist. Her life changes when a young explorer named Severo Bracamonte comes to her family's home with a plan to find the lost treasure of Captain Morgan. A love story slowly develops, leading to marriage. It is clear that Serena is master of the situation. She lets the relationship develop gradually as her feelings for Severo evolve. In the end it is she who makes the advances toward him. Poor Severo never finds the treasure. All he uncovers is an old statue of Diana. The statue is for him a sign of his success, but it also becomes a symbol and agent of a tragic fate that will overwhelm the family. Years later, he is killed when the statue falls on him, and this seems to be a retribution for his excessive pride. Hubris and the resulting nemesis are also major factors in the life of Eva Fuego, the substitute for the child Serena and Severo were unable to have. Eva is another independent and enterprising [End Page 248] woman. After her father's death and her mother's departure to be with another man she now loves, Eva takes over the farm and Severo's rum distillery. She makes a huge commercial success and becomes a powerhouse of business savvy and ambition. She also inadvertently discovers Henry Morgan's treasure in the secret room formerly visited once a year by the mysterious old lady. Like her father, however, Eva is eventually destroyed by her arrogant over-reaching. She dies in another conflagration and is found just before her death by Serena, who returns to the farm after tiring of her second husband. She discovers Eva's dying, burnt body lying on top of the treasures she has hidden away for so many years. Now it becomes Serena's turn to make the annual pilgrimage to the locked chamber every November first.

James P. Gilroy
University of Denver (CO)
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