Transfer

Transfer traces the lives of those on Anna’s Fancy, the Clausen estate on Saint Croix in the Danish West Indies, handed down through three generations. An historical novel and the sequel to Fireburn (OC Publishing 2017), Transfer sees Niels Clausen, the illegitimate child of a Danish landowner and his black mistress who both died as a result of the 1878 worker revolt, leave his adoptive mother’s sugar plantation and sail to England to continue his education.

 With the help of Toby, a British aristocrat, Ivy, a lady’s maid turned lady and her botanist husband, Timothy, Niels challenges the perceptions on the streets of London of a black man at the turn of the 20th century. His development as a writer and political protagonist continues as he travels to Denmark and France where he meets up with childhood friends, Javier and Fabiana Gomez, before returning to Saint Croix.

The Danish West Indies face an uncertain future as the declining sugar industry lessens Denmark’s interest in their colonial outpost. Niels becomes increasingly involved in the future of the islands as war looms and concerns grow that Germany might covet a presence in the Caribbean. Will the islands’ security be guaranteed by the transfer of power to America?

The highs and lows of Niels’ life are punctuated by the crossing of oceans and cultures as well as the political manoeuvrings of a turbulent time in Europe, the United States and the Caribbean.

“History, landscape and culture intertwine in this complex and fascinating story of a coming together of disparate people and the coming of age of the Virgin Islands and its people.”  Jo Parfitt, publisher, Summertime Publishing

"Apple Gidley’s striking new novel captivates from its very first page. This is a deft and well-crafted plot, effortlessly weaving its way through the politically-charged uncertainty of the Danish West Indies and presenting us with such authentic and credible characters that the overall effect is seductive. But it’s the complex layer of perspectives that makes Transfer special. Through a seamless use of narrative, letters, dialogue and dispatches from abroad, we get not just a wider, international perspective – the allure of European culture (‘... it was something about the way Parisian women held their heads...’), the devastation of the Second Boer War, the outbreak of The Great War (‘a generation of laughing boys slaughtered...’) and the development of European suffrage – but also the intensity and colour of characters we can’t help caring about. Clever, emotionally-charged and hugely enjoyable."  Jack Scott, Perking the Pansies

“If you think, that reading Apple Gidleys Transfer, will give you a further detailed insight into life in the then Danish West Indies, you may only to some extent find what you seek; what makes the book interesting is the story it tells of a gallery of individuals, most of them  from the islands with a variety of national backgrounds, and certainly not with an insular approach to life and mind. They are very international and the scene is set in many locations in Europe, Africa and the Caribbean. International outlook is a phenomena that a lot of people in todays world could be wise to take in. The book is highly recommended."  Michael Keldsen, editor of Magasinet, the magazine of the Danish Westindian Society”