Carnival Lost and Found

A split wing, a crushed collar, a heel that gives way at the worst possible moment: in the days before Carnival, Rhea Sookram can usually find a way to keep people moving. The things hidden inside their costumes are harder to put right. A ring, an unfinished letter and a tiny wire bird bring other people’s private histories across her cutting table.

Eleven months after a fire destroyed her workshop, Rhea is still working around the absence of Nessa Baptiste, the wire artist who helped her make it. Following the scattered remains of their old business leads to an answer Rhea has not prepared for: Nessa has a life beyond the shop, and coming back must be her choice.

Set among repairers, performers, families and stubborn old masqueraders in Port of Spain, Carnival Lost and Found is an ensemble drama with a steadily unfolding mystery. Its humour comes from urgent work and people trying to look magnificent while everything comes unstitched. Its heart lies in the difficult business of listening, giving credit and letting a friendship change.