Cereus Blooms at Night

Set on a fictional Caribbean island in the town of Paradise, Cereus Blooms at Night unveils the mystery surrounding Mala Ramchandin and the tempestuous history of her family. At the heart of this bold and seductive novel is an alleged crime committed many years before the story opens. Mala is the reclusive old woman suspected of murder who is delivered to the Paradise Alms House after a judge finds her unfit to stand trial. When she arrives at her new home, frail and mute, she is placed in the tender care of Tyler, a vivacious male nurse, who becomes her unlikely confidante and the storyteller of Mala's extraordinary life.In luminous, sensual prose, internationally acclaimed writer Shani Mootoo combines diverse storytelling traditions to explore identity, gender, and violence in a celebration of our capacity to love.

Author: Shani Mootoo
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Published: 09/01/1999
Pages: 272
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.51lbs
Size: 8.02h x 5.30w x 0.78d
ISBN: 9780380731992

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 6.6
Point Value: 14
Interest Level: Upper Grade
Quiz #/Name: 41687 / Cereus Blooms at Night


Review Citation(s):
New York Times 10/31/1999 pg. 40

About the Author
Mootoo, Shani: -
Shani Mootoo was born in Ireland and grew up in Trinidad. A filmmaker and visual artist, she has written and directed several videos; her painings and photo-based works are exhibited internationally. Shani Mootoo is also a published poet and the author of Out on Main Street, a collection of stories. Cereus Blooms at Night is her first novel.