Talent Show

Do you really know your parents? We all think we do but never consider them as persons before parenthood descended. And do they know you?

In Talent Show an introverted father becomes talkative and lifts the curtain on who his wife was before she was a mother, who she became after, and who each of his children were in his eyes. He reveals a few secrets of his own and describes life in a household of ten children as a perpetual talent show. Everyone is always anxious to perform, to shine and to receive applause, even if they don’t know what their talent is.

Life is a rehearsal for the family talent shows, or is it the other way around? The children get their bit in as they reply with their own versions and reveal who they are. One thing is clear- there is no shared version of a family’s life. Everyone has their own and pain is often hidden in the busyness of family life until family members speak honestly.

Born on the island of Trinidad, Denise Theresa Haynes is the youngest of ten children. After studying French and Spanish languages and literatures at University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill, Barbados, she taught at UWI before studying law.

Denise was a runner up in the Commonwealth Bureau’s Short Story Competition in 1999 and has written articles for magazines and journals. Having practised law for 16 years, she now dedicates her time to writing. She is married and has two children. She is an avid gardener, walks every day and enjoys cooking and reading.