Trinidadian Author self-publishes new West Indian Literature
Ryan Bachoo’s debut novel, An Unending Search (Photos courtesy of Ryan Bachoo)
Ryan Bachoo’s debut novel, An Unending Search (Photos courtesy of Ryan Bachoo)

TRINIDADIAN journalist and author, Ryan Bachoo, has written a West Indian fiction novel called An Unending Search.
The book is set in South Trinidad in the late 1970s, fresh from the Black Power Movement. It explores and confronts several themes, including racism and classism.

The author explained, “It’s set in rural South Trinidad. The protagonist is a young teenage Indian boy who is working in the cane fields with a village elder called Uncle Sundar. Uncle Sundar instils in him the belief that the government is racist and classist and that there are not a lot of job opportunities for someone like him to escape the cane fields. He encourages him to leave Trinidad and try to go to New York or London.”

The book is also described as a journey of self-discovery. Bachoo started writing it in August 2009 and finished the first draft in 2014.
At that point, he did not feel the book was “good enough” and also faced a lack of funds for publishing.

“I picked it back up 10 years later, and in late 2023, I had an editor review it. We had to cut the book in half because it was too long, and then it was almost like writing an entirely different book, like a second book, because my writing had changed,” he said, adding that the book was finally published this month.

Ryan Bachoo (right) signs a copy of his novel for European Union Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago, Peter Cavendish.

Although this is Bachoo’s first novel, he has also written short stories. He explained that his love for West Indian literature drove him to write the book.
According to the author, “I grew up reading West Indian literature in my household. My parents made us read West Indian literature. I studied West Indian literature in secondary school, and so I always felt that when I looked at West Indian literature written by others, I saw stories that mirrored our own.”

“In villages and communities across the Caribbean, you have these characters, these stories that come from these places. And really, they could go into a book, a play—because the Caribbean is rich in content when it comes to literature,” Bachoo reflected.

In primary school, his favourite activity was writing essays, as it allowed his imagination to flourish. Aside from this, Bachoo has been a journalist for the past 15 years at Guardian Media Limited in Trinidad and Tobago, where he has covered a range of beats, including politics, news, and current affairs.

An Unending Search is a self-published book. Reflecting on the process, Bachoo noted, “Writing a book is 60 percent of the work. The other 40 percent is actually publishing. And the publishing process is very, very difficult and very, very challenging. So, I went the route of self-publishing, and I think it has been somewhat of a success.”

The book is dedicated to his parents. “People die, but books remain. I think this was my way of immortalising both my parents and myself by dedicating this book to them. So that when we are gone, someone who picks up this book 10, 20, 30, even 40 years from now will see that it is dedicated to my mother and father,” he expressed.

At present, the book is available in bookstores across Trinidad and Tobago and will soon be available on Amazon Kindle.
“I am actively exploring options to have the book available in Guyana. That is a huge and very important market for West Indian literature,” Bachoo said. “I am absolutely looking into ways to get the book on bookshelves in Guyana because the history of Guyanese literature is so important. The contribution of Guyanese writers to the world is invaluable, and it is truly important to have this book in Guyana, given the country’s enormous literary contributions.”

To this end, Bachoo acknowledged notable Guyanese authors such as Beryl Gilroy, Jan Carew, and E.R. Braithwaite, who have made vast contributions to literature—locally, regionally, and globally. (Submitted piece)

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