Latesha Thomas lives in Beechwood, taking the bus to
college where she studies English Literature, minding her
dad who needs medicines and wondering where she'll get the
money to pay the bills. She puts posters up around college
for a matchmaking phone service. THE END OF THE LINE
follows Latesha home to a well-kept coloured neighbourhood,
where she pretends to have a computer that matches
customers with soul mates. Her first caller is a handsome
white guy she's seen around college. Her father keeps
muttering his disapproval of the service.
Peter Ellsworth is an electrician and an English student,
and while he's only dated white girls he assures the
service that race isn't important to him. Though he
doesn't say so, he wants to try dating girls who don't just
like him for his family's money. The first date - well
it's fun, but a disaster! Peter meets a musclebound
Ramboina who drags him off to shoot him at Paintball.
Better try again....
When Peter eventually gets to meet the girl he's been
chatting to on the phone line, he's attracted. Could
Latesha be the girl for him? Given that her father
believes races can't mix, while local kids ask "You lost,
Casper?" he sees it won't be plain sailing. Should they
even walk to the store together with all her neighbours
staring? Peter decides just to ask for friendship but
Latesha doesn't have friends outside her own community and
doesn't know how to react.
I became absorbed in the story and found Latesha a lovely
girl, working to better herself and taking on community
work such as directing a play. Peter is idealistic, while
admitting that he only knows coloured pop singers. Still,
if nobody makes the first move, how can a society
progress? Even after seeing tensions in the locality,
Peter offers his services as an electrician to the
community centre. Mr Thomas is concerned for his princess,
unable to attribute good motives to an outsider. Mrs
Ellsworth is just as protective of her only child. Their
attitudes give valuable insights into the broader
situation. In a wheelchair due to industrial injury, Mr
Thomas feels his own share of discrimination. There is also
history with the Underground Railroad and up to date focus
with fire safety inspections.
The play being staged is 'Romeo and Juliet', and somewhat
predictably Peter offers to play opposite Latesha, but it
works well in this circumstance. I learnt a lot from this
clever study of manners, which became stronger as it
progressed. What is really being debated is the nature of
freedom. Oddly enough the best comparison I can make with
THE END OF THE LINE, for context and emotion, is Malorie
Blackman's 'Noughts And Crosses'. The author Jim Power is a
Canadian with a lot of magazine work to his credit, and I
hope he keeps producing novels of this calibre which
challenge society. Mature young adults and adults alike
should find this an exciting read.
Latesha Thomas is a beautiful, young African-American woman
who lives with her handicapped father. She is in her final
year of university and they are having a hard time making
ends meet. She decides to start a matchmaking service to
make a little extra money, though she has no experience and
it turns out to be a disaster. She does, however, meet a
client, a handsome white man named Peter Elsworth. The
sparks fly immediately, but there’s a huge problem. Her
father, and his mother, are vehemently opposed to an
interracial relationship. This leads to tremendous conflict,
but their love will not be denied. They grow closer, yet the
closer they become, the more the tension rises. In time a
secret connection between their two worlds become clear and
this adds another dimension of conflict and complexity. But
love is color blind and they are irresistibly drawn to one
another.
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