AUTHOR ROSALIENE BACCHUS
Reaching minds and hearts through storytelling
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Behind the Scenes Twisted Circle
- Making of Novel
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- The Characters
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THE CHARACTERS IN THE TWISTED CIRCLE: A NOVEL
While The Twisted Circle is a work of fiction, it has been inspired by real events that occurred during my final year in a Catholic convent in my native land of Guyana. This presented a challenge when creating unique characters who did not mirror the true-life individuals. To distance myself from the protagonist, Sister Barbara Lovell, I made her a dougla—a person of African and East Indian ancestry, the country’s two major racial and ethnic populations. With a family background much different from mine, her journey led to its own unexpected resolution for the character.
The antagonist, Sister Frances Adler, presented an even greater challenge. How to create a complex white American character that would resonate with white readers? As a student at the Catholic high school for girls, run by the nuns, I had had several American nuns as teachers. Moreover, I had lived among them in the convent during my seven years as a young religious in training. Understanding Frances’ motivations and aspirations was another matter. Once I had determined that the Vietnam War had impacted Frances’ life, I was able to unpeel the layers of her journey as a woman driven by her pain of loss and guilt.
Religious Sisters of Christ the Redeemer (Fictitious Name)
Community at the Convent of Our Lady of Sorrows in Santa Cruz, Guyana’s Northwest Region:
Sister Beatrice – House Superior, headmistress of Santa Cruz Primary School, Portuguese descent, 46 years
Sister Frances – Biology teacher at Mabaruma Secondary School, white American from Ohio, 35 years Sister Barbara – Art & geography teacher at Mabaruma Secondary School, mixed African & East Indian ancestry, 26 years
Sister Gregoria – Former headmistress of Santa Cruz Primary School, in charge of housekeeping and meal preparation, mixed Portuguese & African ancestry, 68 years
Sister Rosario – Former primary school teacher, in charge of kitchen garden and convent-raised chickens, Amerindian from Santa Cruz Village, 70 years
Sister Alma – One of the founders of the Santa Cruz religious community, Portuguese descent, 86 years
Amerindian Convent Staff:
George – General handyman, 52 years
Mary – Washerwoman, 32 years
Teresa – Housemaid & assistant cook, 20 years
Other Sisters living in Georgetown, the capital city of Guyana
Sister Boniface – Mother Superior of the Guyana Mission, Portuguese descent, early sixties
Sister Angela – Barbara’s religious mentor & friend, white American naturalized Guyanese, late forties Sister Hazel – Barbara’s closest friend, elementary teacher, African descent, 29 years
Catholic Clergy of The Society of Jesus (SJ)
Father Andrew Peterson SJ – Barbara’s parish priest in Georgetown, local-born white of British descent, 48 years
Father Patrick Cullen SJ – Parish priest in Santa Cruz, Irishman naturalized Guyanese, in his seventies Father Geoffrey Goodman SJ – Assistant parish priest in Santa Cruz, Frances’ spiritual director, Englishman, 45 years
Staff & Students at the Mabaruma Secondary School
Staff Members
Milroy Allicock – Headmaster, mathematics teacher, Amerindian with British ancestry, late 40s
Colin Grant – Deputy headmaster, Agricultural Science teacher, African descent, 32 years
Patricia Gill – School secretary, African descent, 26 years
Sister Frances – Biology teacher, white American, 35 years
Sister Barbara – Art & geography teacher, mixed African & East Indian ancestry, 26 years
Laljeet Narine – English & history teacher, East Indian, 24 years
Feyona Belgrave – Home economics teacher, African descent, 26 years
Clare Valenzuela – Mathematics teacher-assistant, Amerindian, 22 years
Students with Major & Minor roles
Leonard Gilbert – Form 5, member of the Young Socialist Movement, African descent, 18 years
Ignatius Mendonza, called Raven – Form 2, Amerindian, son of local Carib shaman, 13 years
Samuel Rajpaul – Barbara’s Form 5 art student, East Indian, 18 years
Alice Rajpaul – Form 1, Samuel’s sister, worships Barbara, East Indian, 11 years
Paula Wilburg – Barbara’s Form 5 art student, African descent, 18 years
Bernadette Soares – Form 3, Amerindian, 15 years
Government Officials
Douglas Simmons – District Education Officer, Ministry of Education, African descent, 55 years
Jocelyn Bramble – Wife of the District Commissioner of the Northwest Region, African descent
Police Inspector Trim - Senior police officer in Mabaruma, African descent
Other Minor Characters
Cyril Wilburg – Postmaster in Mabaruma, friend of Barbara’s father since high school, father of Paula (student)
Stella Wilburg – Postmaster’s wife, Paula’s mother
Eline Gilbert – Mother of Leonard Gilbert (student)
Jacintha Lucien – Friend of Frances, mother of two of her students
Param Rajpaul – Headmaster of Mabaruma Elementary School, father of Samuel & Alice (students)
Rojo Kinney – Guyana National Service Regional Cadet Corps Officer, late twenties
The captioned photo shows high school students at morning assembly in Mabaruma in Guyana's northwest rainforest region.
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