Berry sets this story in the Jamaica he grew up in, with the background and characters drawn from his life there. Fanso's world is limited to his home with Granny Flo and school. The story shows him going about his tiresome chores, mostly helping crush the pulp of coconuts for boiling to release coconut oil. The house itself is small, without amenities. Fanso's clothing is old; he yearns for the hard-to-afford luxury of a pair of long pants. A short walk away is a bus stop where one can take the bus to and from nearby towns and Kingston, where Fanso's father lives. It is at the bus stop that Fanso's life seems to begin and end. There is where his father arrives and departs; it is there that Fanso hopes to be carried away to Kingston and his father; it is there that his mother arrives, bringing...