The White Woman on the Green Bicycle by Monique Roffey

The White Woman on the Green Bicycle is about the disintegration of a marriage. George and Sabine are happy newlyweds in England when his company offers him a better job in Trinidad. Sabine is reluctant (and not even sure where Trinidad is) but George promises her that it will be for only 3 years then they can come home. Then George falls in love with life in Trinidad--the colors, the foods, and all the available women. He also likes being a big fish in a small pond and has no desire to be a nameless functionary back in England. Sabine, on the other hand, hates pretty much everything about Trinidad--the heat, the bugs, the hostility of the natives, the isolation. She becomes increasingly bitter as the years pass and she can see that George never intends to return to England. In fact, she discovers that he has sold their house in England (without telling her) so he could buy more property in Trinidad. Monique Roffey gives a good sense of what life is like for Sabine. You can truly feel her misery. George comes off as kind of a self-centered jerk who really doesn't give much thought to his unhappy wife except to occasionally wonder what ever happened to the beautiful and loving wife who came to Trinidad with him. When he accidentally discovers a secret cache of his wife's letters, he realizes the depth of her despair and tries to make amends but it's almost too late. The White Woman on the Green Bicycle also gives a good view of how hard life was on Trinidad for the locals. (Sabine discovers that her maid and several family members are living in a shack with no water and no electricity.) Once British rule of the island ends, the locals have high hopes that things will change with the new government-- but sadly nothing does.