Ramabai Espinet, the author of The Swinging Bridge, is a renowned Indo-Caribbean writer and was born in 1948 in Trinidad and Tobago, not unlike the central protagonist of The Swinging Bridge. With a  doctorate in English from the University of the West Indies, in St. Augustine, Trinidad, Espinet has become a respected scholar in the field of Indo-Caribbean literature. Before writing The Swinging Bridge, her debut novel, Espinet earned a strong reputation for her work in other literary genres, such as poetry, short stories, and literary performances (Mehta 19). Her performances—Robber Talk, which in the speaker takes on the persona of a prominent carnival figure, and Beyond the Kala Pani, which addresses the suppression of female voices in indenture—illustrate Espinet's interest and exploration into the historical record of both Afro- Trinidadans and Indo-Caribbean immigrants (“Ramabai Espinet”). In the 1960s, Espinet’s family moved from Trinidad to Canada; the move’s influence can be seen easily in her works.  Espinet has also been described as an “invaluable contributor to Indo-Caribbean culture in Canada through her work as a scholar, teacher, and outspoken critic” (Waisvisz 22).

            The Swinging Bridge, published in 2003, was Espinet’s first novel. A year later, the work was placed on the Commonwealth Writer’s Prize for Best First Book (Canadiana and Caribbean Region) short list as well as long-listed for the 2005 IMPAC Dublin Award. Despite the various awards and recognition this novel has received, The Swinging Bridge remains relatively unknown in literary scholasticism (Waisvisz 22). However, the novel is remarkable for many reasons. Mehta describes the novel’s success as a result of its ability to consolidate the “preoccupations with the political and historical agency of Indo-Caribbean women in a compelling narrative that moves the reader back and forth between India, Trinidad, Toronto, and Montreal” (19).

            Feminism is an important ideology to Espinet, who describes herself as a “self-proclaimed feminist,” and can be seen throughout The Swinging Bridge and other works by the author (Huntington, Watlington, and Haverstock). With this particular novel, as well as with Espinet’s other works of fiction and scholarly writing, Espinet creates rounded portraits of Indo-Caribbean women that  offer a glimpse into the unique struggle she and other Indo-Caribbean women have faced.  Furthermore, Espinet is critical of the frequent omission of Indian female perspectives in histories of indenture, and it is clear that her work aims to dispel this stereotype by developing forceful and complex female characters.

            Currently, Espinet teaches English and Caribbean studies in York University and the Seneca College in Toronto.