Seasons of Dust

In a four-part tale that seems born of determination more than inspiration, Fulani chronicles the trials of a Jamaican family over five decades. Beginning in 1950s Jamaica, the story follows Ray and Esme Erskine and their daughter, Tessa, as they emigrate to England and are joined by a steady trickle of relatives. In the first segment, Fulani confusingly parades an array of marginal characters and crams entire family histories into a few pages. She switches technique for the second segment, set in 1950s and '60s London, which is narrated almost exclusively by young Tessa and recounts the lively antics of her aunts and uncles as well as the slow disintegration of her parents' marriage. It isn't until the latter two parts, however, that the novel really comes alive as Tessa and her brother, Stevie, describe their growing sense of displacement in 1980s London. Although Fulani packs the Erskines' story with spicy characters and stylish Jamaican vernacular, lackluster prose in the first three sections--and a pat ending in the last--cry out for more vigilant editing of a debut that never quite lives up to its author's high ambitions. (Oct.)