The Coral Heart
A shopkeeper’s journey
Synopsis
In 1911, impoverished Hakka Chinese immigrants arrive on the tropical island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. Among the newcomers, a hungry child. The hard-working boy helps his father, a shopkeeper and surrenders his earnings to him according to Chinese tradition. While he serves the islanders, the young man ingeniously builds the business, negotiates his way through racial divisiveness, and falls in love. But his trust in the old system is put to test … This work of fiction, inspired by letters from the author's father, unfolds during the overthrow of the Chinese Emperor, the rise of communism, the Japanese invasion of China, and the First and Second World Wars.
Praise for The Coral Heart
“A captivating, well-written novel by a talented writer.”
Pamela de St. Antoine, Washington Correspondent, Weekend newspaper
“Peggy Lampotang writes with power and sensitivity about love and loss
in a faraway time and place.”
Terry Fallis, Canadian author of The Best Laid Plans
“The tenacious pull of a distant culture, and the heartbreak of wars
that hover over an island that some think is safe due to its remoteness.
Peggy Lampotang weaves a tale whose fragility reflects its reality.
She sheds light on a segment of our past sometimes told by
historians, but never before touched by fiction and romance.
This novel is the story of a man’s fusion with a country.
The story of a man who becomes a landmark in our history.”
Alain Gordon-Gentil, Mauritian author