Summary

Chapter 6 begins with a recollection of the single time that Mother took Michael and Francis to visit Trinidad. Michael was young and the description is heavy on sensory detail. The village where their family lives is called Ste. Madeleine, it is in the middle of the island. Michael and Francis were afraid, but they were not sure why. They met and spent time with extended family, and there are descriptions of race in Trinidad, as well as its colonial legacy, and descriptions of its damaged natural beauty. They also visited the white church and witnessed a ceremony. On the way back to the airport, Michael's aunt confessed that she had been jealous of Mother for leaving and forging a better life and Mother stayed silent about the reality of what it was like in Canada.

The narrative then zooms out to compare Mother's...