The US Review of Books (USRB) highly commended “An Intimate Guyana Journey: A Pomeroon Destiny Uncovered” by Joseph Mahase

Michelle Jacobs of the US Review of Books reviewed and commended the engaging book written by Joseph Mahase, “An Intimate Guyana Journey: A Pomeroon Destiny Uncovered,” which highlights that “immersive and transportive, this story evokes a family tree thriving in a unique place full of traditions and history.”

The author, Joseph Mahase, is a Canadian of Guyanese origins who spent his early life in the Pomeroon District of Guyana and went to school there in his youth. In his adult years, he studied in Trinidad, Ireland, England, and Wales. He has lived and worked in more than twenty-five countries. In the Pacific, Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and Canada.

More of his professional life has been spent working in national development, and a large part of his career has been as an international civil servant with a United Nations organization. Joseph lives in Mississauga, Canada, with his wife, Maria, from the South Pacific; their children, Wenonah and Jose-Maria; and their Yorkiepoo, Maya. 

“An Intimate Guyana Journey: A Pomeroon Destiny Uncovered” by Joseph Mahase is a saga that follows four generations of a family through the joys and sorrows of life, Spanning the years 1873–1972 and set in the Pomeroon River District of Guyana, South America. As a young boy, Vernon Atkins learns about his family’s history through the stories of Mrs. deCastro, who cares for him when his mother is in the hospital. Th

rough the boy’s despair and worry, Mrs. de Castro distracts him with tales of the past, unraveling the ancestral ties that bind him to his ancestors. She regales him with accounts of weddings, births, and funerals, as well as adulterous affairs that bring tumult and confusion to the family lineage. Above all, her stories celebrate a family legacy and a deep connection to Pomeroon and the waterways that connect the community and eventually provide Vernon with his livelihood.

Here’s an excerpt from the US Review of Books that highlights:

“Mahase captures the spirit of Guyana with his lush descriptions and attention to detail as each generation lives and loves. Through the decades, the river bears witness, and the people become memory keepers. At times, hearts break, and at other times they soar. In between, life unfolds in the daily rituals of work and family. Mahase deftly portrays how present generations are connected to the past and impacted by the actions of ancestors in subtle and profound ways. The author also shows how inheritance comes in many forms. For example, we often think of money and land, but Mahase illustrates how people also inherit the choices of their ancestors and their stories. Vernon eventually adds his own story to the family epic, reinforcing the theme of familial continuity in this intriguing read.”