This is an richly and believably detailed novel of two planets: Toussaint, a Carib colonized planet of extreme nano-technology, and New Half-Way, an alternate version of Toussaint without the technology that serves as a place of exile for convicts. The tale is told in and all the human characters speak in an Afro-Caribbean patois which makes the audiobook a joy to listen to. The main character is Tan-Tan who begins the story as a young girl. When her father kills her mother's lover with a poisoned machete he takes Tan-Tan and escapes to New Half-Way. Soon he becomes a dissatisfied, bitter man who begins to abuse Tan-Tan. The teen-aged Tan-Tan escapes into the bush to live with the Douen, a race of non-humanoid creatures native to the planet who take her in reluctantly. In the short time that she is there she struggles with the guilt she is living with which increases when her presence causes destruction in the lives of the Douen. No spoilers about the ending. This is the first book I've read by this author and I look forward to reading more.
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