“In the shade of the Tembusu tree” is the story of two women, culturally and spiritually very different from each other, whose lives entwine through happenstance. Esmirada Espinosa was born in a municipal cemetery on the outskirts of Manila. For a short time she lived with her impoverished family in a narrow stone mausoleum, finally moving to the slums and barrios of the Philippines where she grows up. An only daughter who has a strong sense of filial duty, she is obedient, superstitious and religious. Without question, she accepts the path God and her family choose for her.
Lucinda Leadbitter is an only child from a broken home, growing up in a small Australia country town. She is adventurous, artistic, creative and talented. Her fearless nature and a small windfall lead her first to Majorca where she falls in love, and then to England and a wealthy banker with ambitions for an overseas posting.
The main characters include:
Olina; long-suffering mother of Esmirada who believes it is a woman’s duty to keep evil spirits away from the home.
Boboy; father of Esmirada, an impoverished son of slum dwellers, moving from shanty town to railway siding each time a typhoon wipes out his family hovel.
Buboy; Brother of Boboy, through his dirty dealings and get-quick-rich schemes he claws his way up to become the greedy landlord and store owner of the barrio.
Lola; beloved grandmother of Esmirada, who is extremely industrious and inventive in ways to scrape together a few extra pesos. Highly superstitious she fills Esme’s childhood with legends, myths, folklore and proverbs.
Manny; handsome guitar-strumming brother of Esmirada, he drives a jeepney-cum-disco for a living, and has an eye for the wrong kind of women.
Ricardo: second brother of Esmirada, more settled and family orientated. Unlike Manny, he is willing to work in a conventional job in order to secure a better life for himself and his family.
Timothy; The quiet American. An English teacher and elder of the Chinatown Independent Church. A benevolent, righteous Good Samaritan, who works doggedly to improve the plight of those less fortunate.
Hallam; Lucy’s vulpine, foppish husband. A highly successful banker and piano player with a roving eye.
Amber; a professional expat. Beautiful, flirtatious and scheming. An accomplished entertainer and good friend and confidant to Lucinda.
Holly; fairy-like daughter of Hallam and Lucinda, attention seeking, confident, intelligent, creative and artistic.
Cameron; son of Hallam and Lucinda, timid, shy and a bedwetter. A prolific reader of non-fiction and classics from an early age.
Alex; a highly successful artist and gallery owner. Selective, compassionate, loving and faithful to the memory of his wife Inke.
In the shade of the Tembusu tree is a character driven novel depicting the parallels between Esmirada and Lucinda, and the sometimes-tragic events, which occur during their years together in Singapore. Although from very different backgrounds and financial circumstances a subtle trust and friendship develops between the two. Eventually Lucinda comes to view Esme no longer as a mere subservient housemaid but as a respected peer and ally.
The reader follows Lucinda’s journey discovering the headiness of life as a privileged over-indulged expat as well as the blows of betrayal, infidelity, and fragility of life. Through friendship, courage, endurance and optimism, she discovers the strength to rebuild her shattered life.
The novel also explores the social dilemma of maid abuse and the stark contrast between Singapore’s affluent society, and that of the foreign worker and the vulnerability of young women, drawn from their homes in search of a better life. In contrast, it also highlights the street-savvy domestic workers who take advantage of their employers’ benevolent nature and ignorance.
The story shifts from the sleek colonial homes of Singapore, to the devastating plight of the slum and waste dwellers of the Philippines. With side trips along the way to the leafy sylvan lanes of Surrey in England and the trendy white sands of Noosa Australia. Combining to make both an entertaining travelogue and intriguing social commentary.
A trained nurse professionally, she moved to Singapore in 1986 with her husband Mark and children Joshua and Candice. After 19 years in the republic she is now a permanent resident.
Her novel, “In The Shade of the Tembusu Tree” flourished out of her extensive travels and the characters she has met along the way.
