Kincaid's "A Small Place" is a masterclass in blending history, culture, place, neocolonial critique, and autobiographical essay. De-romanticizing and re-centering the history of a place known, practically solely, for its tourism globally is no small feat, but Kincaid makes it look easy. While the book was written in 2008, there are details that show not only the lasting neglect of public spaces and care (the library, is the most notable example) over decades of administration after becoming a sovereign nation from the British. Her prose blends the reality of corruption, the impact of the British, the intergenerational trauma of slavery, personal experience, and shows how the current understanding of Antigua and its residents is shallow, only truly benefitting the colonial powers that brought Antigua to this place.
The last chapter/essay is perhaps the most dramatic. Kincaid zooms in on the "unreal beauty" of Antigua and illuminates the horrors that lurk in the shadows of that beauty. She continues by showing how each element of Antiguan life is representative of a colonial past. Speaking English, the newness of all surroundings that are free from "revolutions of any kind," Kincaid is showing the reader that a colonized nation, even if not currently under foreign rule, exists at the mercy of a culture, language, and belief system that was never representative of the native population.
When examining multicultural literature, particularly from non-Western authors, the perspective and lens offered by Kincaid is invaluable. Her analysis transcends economy, history, or culture as she uses the final moments of this powerful book to emphasize the scars that cannot be washed away from generation to generation.
