Our book group choice for July 2020 is Golden Child by Claire Adam. Rural Trinidad: a brick house on stilts surrounded by bush; a family, quietly surviving, just trying to live a decent life.
Clyde Deyalsingh is a hard-working man who lives in a small village in Trinidad with his wife, Joy, and their twin sons, Peter and Paul. Clyde is determined to give his sons a better life than he had, and he has high hopes for Peter, who is the more intelligent and outgoing of the two. Paul is slower and more introverted, and Clyde often feels frustrated with him.
One day, a group of armed robbers break into the Deyalsinghs’ home. Paul tries to stand up to them, but he is outnumbered and overpowered. The robbers take everything of value, including Clyde’s savings for Peter’s education.
In the aftermath of the robbery, Clyde is forced to make some difficult decisions. He can no longer afford to send Peter to Harvard, and he must choose between sending Peter to a local college or keeping Paul in school. Clyde knows that Peter has the potential to do great things, but he also loves Paul and doesn’t want to see him fall behind.
The decision is made even more difficult when Paul disappears. Clyde searches everywhere for him, but he cannot find him. Eventually, he is forced to accept that Paul has been kidnapped.
The kidnappers demand a ransom of $100,000, but Clyde does not have that kind of money. He turns to Joy’s wealthy uncle, Vishnu, for help. Vishnu agrees to pay the ransom, but he only does so on the condition that Clyde give up his rights to Paul.
Clyde is devastated. He loves Paul and does not want to give him up, but he also knows that he cannot let Peter down. In the end, he makes the difficult decision to let Paul go.
Paul is returned to his family, but the experience has changed him. He is withdrawn and silent, and he no longer seems to be the same boy he was before. Clyde is heartbroken, but he knows that he must be patient with Paul. He hopes that one day, Paul will be able to heal from the trauma he has experienced.
Discussion Questions for Golden Child
- The author spoke in an online workshop online and we were intrigued. She had tried very hard not to write about her homeland, Trinidad and Tobago, until giving in and writing Golden Child. How much do you feel that ‘place’ plays a part in this novel and how evocative did you find the descriptions of T and T?
- What do you make of the premise of the book? The idea that one child is worth gold and one is worthless? Do you think that Paul has a learning disability? Or Dyslexia?
- We hear from Clyde, Paul, and the Father, but not Peter, Joy etc. Do you think this helps or hinders your understanding? Why do you think the author did this?
- The wider family play a large role – Joy’s uncle Vishnu’s charity and her brother Romesh’s betrayal. Do you think that Joy or Clyde could have prevented Paul’s kidnap from happening?
- Joy wants to keep the twins together at school, and this leads to Paul meeting Father Kavanagh who tells him he is fine, and not learning disabled. Why did Joy think keeping them together was so important? Did you think that if the uncle hadn’t died, Paul would have been able to stay at school and overcome his background?
- Is Father Kavanagh the white saviour figure? What is his role in the book?
- What do you think of Clyde and how he makes his choice?
- Would you say there is a culture of toxic masculinity being examined? Does Joy get much of a say in things? Or her mother?
- Does the book live up to its award winning status for you?
- To whom would you recommend this?
Individual Ratings
DKB's Rating 
EmmaJ's Rating
EmmaT's Rating
Baljit's Rating
Jo's Rating
Sue's Rating 
Catherine's Rating