Hotel Paradiso

By Gregor Robinson

Gregor Robinson's debut novel charts a season in the life of 30-something David Rennison, a disillusioned banker fleeing a failed relationship and the rat race of Montreal for the warmer climes of the Bahamian outport of Pigeon Cay. A fair-weather expatriate, he has come to the subtropics in search of exotic escape, but instead stumbles upon genteel corruption, white-collar crime, racism, and murder. Amid the turmoil of illegal Haitian refugees, voodoo rituals, and the powdery trail of drug smugglers, Rennison peers into the lives of those that both create and inherit his purgatory. Keeping a field journal of local flora and fauna, his botanist handbook gradually assumes the voice of a confessional diary, betraying details of a burgeoning affair and his secret conscience, capable of remedy or poison.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1551923580
• ISBN13: 9781551923581
• Release Date: June 2002
• Publisher: Raincoast Books
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 0.8" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

A very intruiging work from a Canadian author...

"Hotel Paradiso" caught my eye a while back, and I must confess that it had the misfortune of being buried in my "to-be-read" pile for quite a while. I wish I'd gone to it earlier than now.Despite a somewhat slow start (the only real negative thing I can say about the book), "Hotel Paradiso" is a rather unique reading experience. David, our main narrative voice, has come to Pigeon Cay to get away from the rotten relationship and rat race that Montreal represents. In Pigeon Cay, he is running the only bank on the island in a world where drug running, back-room dealings, and white-collar crime walk hand in hand with racism, beatings, murders and voodoo.The book, however, reads nearly lyrically. The passages where David describes the slow pace of the world around him are nearly meditative, and when the action begins, it garners your attention all the more for the sharp change of pacing. The myriad plots and deals and secrets of Pigeon Cay are a marvel to unravel, and definately a worthwhile reading endeavour.Despite the slow beginning, I'd definately reccommend this one. And, as always, it's a pleasure to read strong writing from a Canadian author.'Nathan