Publisher's Synopsis
***SHORTLISTED FOR THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE FOR HISTORICAL FICTION and THE WILBUR SMITH ADVENTURE WRITING PRIZE***
For Readers of The Yellow Crocus and The Underground Railroad, a Poignant Novel Inspired by a True Story about the Heroism of Two Enslaved Brothers Sent to Steal Slaves from the British in Grenada and the Tragic Results of this Doomed Mission Set in 1765 on the Caribbean islands of Grenada and Martinique, Sugar Money opens as two enslaved brothers--Emile and Lucien--are sent on an impossible mission forced upon them by their masters, a band of mendicant French monks.The monks run hospitals in the islands and fund their ventures through farming cane sugar and distilling rum. Seven years earlier--after a series of scandals--they were ousted from Grenada by the French authorities, and had to leave their slaves behind. Despite the fact that Grenada is now under British rule, and effectively enemy territory, the monks devise an absurdly ambitious plan: they send Emile and Lucien to the island to convince the monks' former slaves to flee British brutality and escape with them. Award-winning author Jane Harris peoples her daring novel, based on a historical rebellion, with unforgettable characters. Recounted by Lucien, the younger brother, this story of courage, disaster, and love, is a testament to the tenacity of the human spirit under the crush of unspeakable cruelty.
