Reviews tagging 'Death'

Krik? Krak! by Edwidge Danticat

7 reviews

ceallaighsbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

"Pretend that this is the time of miracles and we believed in them. I watched the owner for a long time, and I think I can fly that balloon. The first time I saw him do it, it looked like a miracle, but the more and more I saw it, the more ordinary it became." — from “A Wall of Fire Rising”

TITLE—Krik? Krak!

AUTHOR—Edwidge Danticat

PUBLISHED—1995

PUBLISHER—Soho Press

GENRE—literary fiction, short stories

SETTING—Haiti

MAIN THEMES/SUBJECTS—stories as memory—memory as inheritance, Haitian history, immigration & refugee experience, parenthood, Caribbean folklore, matriarchal legacies, great/grand/mother-daughter-sister family relationships, soucouyant, funeral & death rituals & traditions, love, colonialism, vodou & mission Christianity, dreams, Creole language, riddles

“They say behind the mountains are more mountains. Now I know it's true. I also know there are timeless waters, endless seas, and lots of people in this world whose names don't matter to anyone but themselves.” — from “Children of the Sea”

My thoughts:

This was a perfect short story collection. I absolutely loved how all of the stories were connected to each other through the characters in all of the other stories and how that played into the theme of the way stories connect us all and especially diasporic families and cultures. It was just such a powerful reading experience to see some of the most upsetting topics and imagery all written with such a deep tenderness and compassion. I already want to reread it.

I loved all of the stories but my especial favorites were: “A Wall of Fire Rising”, “Seeing Things Simply”, “Caroline’s Wedding”, and “Epilogue: Women Like Us.” I was surprised to find that the stories that started out being the hardest for me to read ended up becoming my favorites.

I would recommend this book to readers who love elevated, classics-style literary writing (which some might consider slow) about deeply human, emotional topics. This book is best read with a box of tissues. 🥺😢🤧

Final note: Can’t wait to read more from Danticat!

“These were our bedtime stories. Tales that haunted our parents and made them laugh at the same time. We never understood them until we were fully grown and they became our sole inheritance.” — from “Caroline’s Wedding”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Season: Summer

CW // violence, death, child death, prison, lots of upsetting imagery & themes, suicide, rape animal death & cruelty (Please feel free to DM me for more specifics!)

Further Reading—

• BLUE by Emmelie Prophète
• TELL MY HORSE by Zora Neale Hurston—TBR
• ANNIE JOHN by Jamaica Kincaid
• THE CHARM BUYERS by Lilian Howan
• Toni Morrison

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Suicide, Child death, Violence, and War

gilnean's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Violence, Death, War, and Grief

Moderate: Pregnancy, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Incest, Death of parent, Animal death, Pedophilia, Ableism, Alcohol, Rape, Sexual violence, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Infidelity, Child death, Blood, Classism, and Animal cruelty

Minor: Police brutality, Misogyny, Excrement, Forced institutionalization, Torture, Sexism, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Colonisation, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Terminal illness, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Genocide, Alcoholism, Vomit, Suicide, Medical trauma, Slavery, and Cancer

bitterseason's review

dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

• Children of the Sea: 4 ☆
• Nineteen Thirty-Seven: 3.25 ☆
• A Wall of Fire Rising: 3 ☆
• Night Women: 2.25 ☆
• Between the Pool and the Gardenias: 3 ☆
• The Missing Peace: 3.75 ☆
• Seeing Things Simply: 3 ☆
• New York Day Women: 3 ☆
• Caroline’s Wedding: 3.25 ☆
• Women Like Us: 3 ☆
• In the Old Days: 2 ☆

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Misogyny, Pregnancy, Suicide, Gore, Physical abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Blood, Infidelity, Murder, Sexual violence, Violence, Death, Incest, Rape, Sexism, and War

Minor: Abandonment, Miscarriage, Slavery, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Body shaming, Excrement, Animal death, Sexual harassment, Animal cruelty, Infertility, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit

jayisreading's review

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.25

My knowledge of Haiti’s history and culture is rather limited, but I felt I learned so much from Danticat’s beautiful (even mystical) writing and the glimpses she gave of this country. Like many short story collections, some stories were more compelling than others, but I found that Danticat had a distinct voice that would always draw me in. There were themes that tied all of these stories together, much of which reflected on memory, identity, and suffering from the perspectives of women. Furthermore, characters and stories overlapped to create a strong sense of cohesion.

While pain and grief are at the forefront, Danticat doesn’t leave the reader in a state of despair. There are still glimmers of hope that reveal the complexities of Haitian life, whether it be in Haiti or in the United States as a part of the diaspora.

There was and still is a lot to think about, considering how much Danticat packed into each story. Some of my favorites were: “Children of the Sea,” “Night Women,” “The Missing Peace,” “New York Day Women,” and the epilogue, “Women Like Us.”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, War, and Grief

Moderate: Child death, Rape, Suicide, and Gun violence

Minor: Ableism, Miscarriage, and Cancer

qqjj's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, and War

karbzzz's review against another edition

emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Suicide, Death, Gun violence, Grief, and Miscarriage

Minor: Miscarriage

indigosl's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War

Moderate: Child death, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Gun violence

Minor: Infertility, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Sexism, and Sexual assault