Tremor

Life may be hopeless, but it is not without meaning. We must dance while we can—and later, dance again in the telling.

In Tremor, ordinary moments are shadowed by deeper histories and tensions: a weekend spent antiquing reveals the colonial violence embedded in the land; a quiet evening walk is disrupted by casual racism; a loving marriage carries undercurrents of unspoken strain. Around these moments rises a chorus of voices from a vibrant, restless metropolis.

These experiences unfold through the perspective of Tunde, a West African man teaching photography at a prestigious New England university. A reader, listener, and traveler, Tunde is drawn to stories of all kinds—those found in history and epic, in conversations with friends and strangers, and in books and films. These stories accumulate, shaping the texture of his days and, ultimately, the life he is living.

Blending realism with invention, Tremor explores literature, music, race, and history while reflecting on the passage of time and the ways we measure it. It confronts the brutality of history even as it affirms the possibility of beauty and joy.