Fortune by Amanda Smyth
Eddie Wade just got back from working in the US oil fields. He is committed to drilling his own well and cashing in on the Trinidad oil boom of the 1920s. Sonny Chatterjee’s failing cocoa farm, Kushi, where the earth is so saturated with oil that you can stick a stick in it and watch it bubble up, is in his sights. The three guys form a partnership after Eddie meets businessman Tito Fernandez by chance and receives the crucial investor he needs. When the oil starts leaking, Tito and Eddie form a friendship that will permanently alter their lives.
Fortune by Amanda Smyth
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However, their relationship also puts Eddie in contact with Ada, Tito’s stunning wife, and despite their best efforts, they are unable to resist their feelings for one another. Based on actual events, Fortune places Trinidad in the middle of a historical shift whose repercussions extend as far as today’s worries about climate change and environmental degradation. As a tale of love and ambition, its attention is drawn to characters who are so consumed by their aspirations that they heedlessly venture into the realm of traditional Greek tragedy, where decisions always have repercussions.
The book by Amanda Smyth is immensely engrossing as it depicts the swagger and confidence of Trinidad’s early days of oil drilling, complete with intricate machinery, derricks, and oil pipes. Smyth, a Trinidadian, vividly describes the “creaking jungles” where “frogs sung their sirens” with complete conviction. Her cast, which includes daring oilmen, businessmen, worried landowners, and the attractive woman at the centre of the main love story, moves relentlessly toward the dramatic climax. Fortune is more than just an exciting tale. It demonstrates the upheaval that the discovery of oil invariably brings about in settled society.
It is mostly a book about individuals, their longings and disappointments, and the things that motivate them to love Trinidad, a beautiful, lush place that can occasionally be savage and unfriendly. These things also push them to discover oil. The countryside serves as a constant backdrop for the story’s vibrant colours, images, and sounds, yet it also conceals a sense of impending catastrophe that propels the reader forward. Their excitement and fear for their risky endeavours, also cause you to empathize with even the less likeable individuals.
In this fight of the elements, man is pitted against nature, but while this dramatic event is taking place, the small details of everyday life are lovingly detailed. In the background, a secret love affair is developing into something heated. The author has a wonderful ability to use a few words to describe a character or scene while still thoroughly capturing your imagination. This writing style keeps the book moving quickly without becoming sluggish, but it also made me want to pause and take in the details. I adored the variety of Trinidadian individuals in the book, as well as their disparate histories, customs, and superstitions.
