V.S. Naipaul 
Miguel Street 

To the residents of Miguel Street, a derelict corner of Trinidads capital, their neighbourhood is a complete world, where everybody is quite different from everybody else. Theres Popo the carpenter, who neglects his livelihood to build the thing without a name; Man-man, who goes from running for public office to staging his own crucifixion; Big Foot, the dreaded bully with glass tear ducts; and the lovely Mrs. Hereira, in thrall to her monstrous husband. Their lives (and the legends their neighbours construct around them) are rendered by V. S. Naipaul with Dickensian verve and Chekhovian compassion in this tender, funny novel.From the Trade Paperback edition.