In 1923, 20-year-old George Hodges rejects his mixed-race family in Tiger Bay bound for New York. Shocked by American racism, he denies his racial background & courts danger by passing as white. Years later, his love of jazz, coupled with personal tragedy makes him reflect on his identity and his past, while back in Cardiff his family are facing their own grief and hardship. ‘Anna Corbett’s vivid portrayal of the Tiger Bay community in Cardiff during the 1920s and ’30s is both truthful and tender-hearted, yet the discontented George decides to reject it all to follow his dreams to America. There he discovers that those dreams come at some considerable cost. The many interesting characters who accompany him on his life journey are deftly woven into an engaging story of love, identity and redemption. Set in two multicultural communities separated by the Atlantic Ocean but united by the rhythms of music and life, Tiger Bay in Cardiff and Harlem in New York City, Masquerade is an extraordinary debut – a smart, sensual and witty novel that is deeply informed by archival research and Anna’s extensive, lifelong passion for Jazz music.’ Jeremy Rees, Radio Presenter & Jazz Show host at Radio Cardiff
