Purple Blues opens a window into the varieties of language used by a community, and offers a taste of the rich culture that identifies them as uniquely Caribbean. Tales of childhood discovery and sibling rivalry evoke echoes of a cherished past and nostalgia for the 'good old days'. The lighthearted playfulness that pervades the collection is punctuated by stark, often painful, reality which jolts the reader and triggers a visceral response, while the short-shorts command the readers' attention for a moment and invite them to return to savour the experience, to laugh or cry again or simply to ponder.