Reviews

Edwidge Danticat's "Krik? Krak!" is a beautiful collection of stories that gives the readers a remarkable insight into Haitian culture. While "The Kingdom of this World" felt historic and almost too fantastic at points, "Krik? Krak!" felt incredibly real and relevant, while still maintaining some of the fantastic, poetic, and symbolic aspects that were so prevalent in our last book about Haiti. What was most remarkable about this book, though, was the extent to which it was thoroughly relatable. The characters (even though most didn't even have names) felt vivid and real, and their pain, suffering, happiness, and other emotions felt completely palpable. The emotion of this novel is made it by far the most relatable work of this semester and elevated it to another level past some of the other works that we read in that it became less of a regional/cultural piece and more of a universally relatable work.

tamgperkins's review

Go to review page

Made a forever fan of Edwidge. Absolute beautiful writing.

africanbookaddict's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

!!! blog review: http://africanbookaddict.com/2015/08/22/krik-krak-by-edwidge-danticat/

I really liked this! It was the perfect summer read, especially since most of the short stories in this collection take place in Haiti - the island with the indigo blue skies and the sandy beaches. It is very evident that Danticat wrote this from her heart and I felt her love for her island in every story. My fave stories were: Children of the Sea (tender tale of two lovers separated by political violence and the sea) ; Between the Pool and the Gardenias (crazy story! I was shocked while reading this! Loved it) ; The Missing Peace (I always love a story with a precocious, brave girl in it) ; Caroline's Wedding (This was interesting...I adored the sisterhood between Caroline and Gracina. The mother in the story irked me- she was such a debbie-downer, but I understand why) ; Epilogue: Women Like Us (Great ending. I'm guessing this is a true 'story' on the struggle Danticat went through with convincing her family that she wanted to become a writer instead of the stereotypical role of a great housewife or cook which women in her family prided themselves with).
I like that I learned a bit about Haiti and the hardships it has faced and how it has affected its citizens. I'm definitely going to google some stuff from the book to learn more - like the coup d'etat it faced, Papa Doc Duvalier (ex-president Francois Duvalier) etc. I hope to read more Danticat in the future!
[MORE ON THE BOOK BLOG SOON].

rlgreen91's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

What a lovely collection of stories! This was my first introduction to Edwidge Danticat, and I really enjoyed the stories. I think Danticat has a wonderful way of really capturing simultaneous conflicting emotions in her characters, like the feeling of bittersweetness but expanded. It felt like each of the stories in the collection echoed those emotions in some way. I also enjoyed the teasing nature of the interconnectedness of the stories; there was enough there to hint at a common thread but not so much that you could be sure of it.

I did read the collection out of order, but even with that tease of interconnection, it seems to have been fine to do so. If I had to pick a favorite, I would likely go with "Women Like Us", although it's close; "Nineteen thirty-seven" and "In the Old Days" are close runners-up. I'm certainly looking forward to reading more of Danticat's work in the future. 4.5 stars.

Content Warnings

pithier's review

Go to review page

emotional informative reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

These stories are so beautifully written. Even thought the themes were sometimes sad there is always a sliver or hope or humor and always love. I love that there's a thread running through all the stories that connects generations of Haitians.

tessatea333's review

Go to review page

dark reflective slow-paced

4.5

laurentastic's review

Go to review page

emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.5

More...