The night of your book club arrives; you’ve prepared an assortment of Caribbean treats, the curry aroma is intoxicating. The pineapple slices drip their juice into the bowl surrounded by round slices of kiwi on top. The blender has a full bowl of ice next to it, mango and of course, plenty of rum. The stage is set, now for the music.
When your guests enter your home whether it is on a snowy, cold February night or a hot, sweltering day in July, you want them to instantly pick up the Caribbean vibe you are trying to create. You want them to leave their troubles behind, just as Jill Bradley, the protagonist in the story, did and experience a place of letting go and feeling irie.
So what tunes do you play? The King of Reggae, Bob Marley, immediately comes to mind. Some favorites include Is This Love, Three Little Birds and Jamming. Mix that with a little American Tropicana, Jimmy Buffett. Songs like Boat Drinks, Margaretville and the new duet with Zac Brown, Knee Deep make escaping their worries sound plausible. From across the pond, UB40, has some classics they’ll remember. Red, Red, Wine, Reggae Music, Kingston Town, and I Got You Babe will have them jamming in no time.
Once you’ve set the mood, your guests have had a drink, a bite to eat, their ready to relax and chat about the book. What issues in the book did they relate to? When they feel the need to escape from their problems, what do they do? Did they learn anything new about nursing? They laugh, they share, maybe even some end up shedding tears. It’s all good.
The evening ends with coffee and rum coconut cake. Your friends rave that this was the best book club ever! How are they going to top this? You hug the last guest as she leaves through your front door. You close it, go to the music and turn it on loud and dance in your living room.
I Know You're There is Susan Allison-Dean's debut novel. To schedule a book club appearance in person or via Skype, please contact Sue at [email protected].