The book that topped the 2023 Guyana Prize for Literature Fiction award is the culmination of journalist and author Michael Jordan thinking for 47 years about writing the story of a 13-year-old schoolgirl, Ann Stewart, who was murdered in 1976, and whose body was placed in a sitting position in an alley in Tucville. The prime suspect was never charged.
“This is 47 years of agony, of thinking about writing this story because of what occurred and the impact it had on me as an 18-year-old living in Tucville at the time. It was written from the heart with a lot of emotional content. It is something I know a lot about,” Jordan, 64, told Stabroek Weekend.
The novel, Jordan’s second, is a tribute to Stewart who becomes the character Sandra Stephens in the book, “The Girl in the Pink Pleated Skirt”. Jordan’s first, “Kamarang”, was shortlisted for the 2022 Guyana Prize.
