The Zabime sisters

Master storyteller Aristophane's The Zabime Sisters takes a keen look at some of the universal experiences of children on the cusp of growing up, in the fascinating setting of Guadeloupe.

Aristophane's bold, graphic brushwork weaves a wild texture through this gentle, clear-eyed tale. On the first day of summer vacation, teenaged sisters M'Rose, Elle, and Celina step out into the tropical heat of their island home and continue their headlong tumble toward adulthood.

Boys, schoolyard fights, petty thievery, and even illicit alcohol make for a heady mix, as The Zabime Sisters indulge in a little summertime freedom.

The dramatic backdrop of a Caribbean island provides a study of contrasts--a world that is both lush and wild, yet strangely small and intimate--which echoes the contrasts of the sisters themselves, who are at once worldly and wonderfully naive.