The Year in San Fernando — Michael Anthony

The Year in San Fernando (1965) is an ironic, first-person narrative of a twelve-year-old boy's experiences of a year in the city. Francis, the son of a very poor widow living in a Trinidadian village, is given the chance to go to San Fernando to work as a servant companion. It seems a great opportunity, but Francis has never seen a town, or been away from his family, and he is very afraid. The Year in San Fernando is Michael Anthony's first novel. A semi-autobiography, it is based on his experiences as a pre-teen, growing up and moving away from his immediate family. Published in England in 1965, it is also one of his most successful works of fiction.