Brief Intro to Small Place

In A Small Place, Jamaica Kincaid gives an account of a visit to the island of her birth after a twenty year absence. The focus of the book is her reflections on the effects that British colonialism and its aftermath have had on the land of her birth. The anger that Kincaid feels toward the British and toward her fellow Antiguans sets the tone for her scrutiny of her homeland. She recounts her journey through …

…annoy and even offend some readers, it is impossible to ignore the pain and sorrow behind her words. It is interesting to speculate whether A Small Place could have been as forceful as it is had Kincaid chosen to remain in Antigua instead of emigrating to the United States. You have to ask yourself just how much a part distance and the passage of time play in her review of the land of her birth.