Overview
Set on a cocoa estate in colonial Trinidad at the turn of the twentieth century, Palmyra is a coming-of-age historical novel where family secrets, betrayal, and the legacies of slavery and indentureship shape the lives of its characters. Through the eyes of eleven-year-old Joe Chang, readers enter a world where the past continues to shape the present, and every family carries stories that echo across generations.
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Themes to Consider 

• Identity and belonging

• Family and inheritance

• Colonialism and its legacy

• Race and social class

• Betrayal and forgiveness

• Memory and storytelling

• Childhood innocence versus adult realities
  
   

Discussion Questions 
1. Joe Chang observes the world around him with curiosity but often without fully understanding what he sees. How does his perspective shape your experience of the novel? Would the story have been different if told by an adult? 

​2. The estate of Palmyra is more than a backdrop—it influences the lives of everyone who lives there. In what ways does the setting become a character in its own right?​

3. Throughout the novel, characters struggle with questions of identity, belonging, and family. Which character's search for identity resonated most with you, and why? 

4. Many of the novel's conflicts arise from secrets, silence, and things left unsaid. Which hidden truth had the greatest impact on the story?

 
5. Palmyra explores the long shadow of colonialism, slavery, and indentureship. How do these historical legacies continue to influence the characters' lives generations later?​

6. Betrayal appears in many forms throughout the novel. Which act of betrayal did you find most significant, and could any of it be understood—or even forgiven?​

7. Were there moments when your sympathies toward a character changed? What caused you to see them differently?​

8. What surprised you most about Trinidad at the turn of the twentieth century? Did the novel challenge or expand your understanding of Caribbean history?​

9. If you could continue the story beyond the final page, whose future would you most like to know more about?​

10. What do you think is the central message of Palmyra? Is it ultimately a story about family, identity, history, forgiveness—or something else?

 

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Author's Note
​History is often taught through dates and events, but its deepest truths emerge through the lives of ordinary people. In writing Palmyra, I wanted to explore how the legacies of colonialism—including slavery and indentureship—are woven into one family's history and continue to echo across generations. Although the characters are fictional, many of the historical realities that shape their lives are drawn from Trinidad's rich and complex past.

 

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Historical & Cultural Context​

The turn of the twentieth century was a period of profound change in Trinidad. Although slavery had been abolished decades earlier, its legacy continued to influence every aspect of society, including social structures, relationships, and opportunities. At the same time, indentured labourers from India, China, and other parts of the world were transforming the island's cultural landscape.

 

Against this backdrop, cocoa estates such as Palmyra became places where people from many diverse backgrounds lived and worked together, navigating questions of identity, class, belonging, and family. Understanding this historical setting offers a deeper appreciation of the choices the characters face and the world they inhabit.​

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​Memorable Lines​​

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"I used to think the past was dead and gone, that the passage of time erased memories."

"Even when we think we have the freedom to do what we want, we don't really."

Winston pokes at the fire with a stick, the flames flickering and shapeshifting against an inky backdrop.