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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Danticat is a phenomenal story teller and short stories are definitely a strength of hers as a writer. This is a novel made up of 9 excellent short stories. Some of the stories are clearly related and you can feel a narrative arc through the book, but many of them are very difficult to piece together, so it is not clear how it fit in with the Dew Breaker, who is a person torturing and killing others in Haiti. These men would often come for their victims in the hour when the dew was starting to form in the earliest morning, hence the name. At first, I was flipping around trying to find out how one story did fit with another, ie when there was a story about each of the 3 men who rented a room from the main characters in Brooklyn, then it felt like too much effort. Once I accepted that I wasn't going to fit the puzzle together, I was able to enjoy each story more.
Danticat does an excellent job in these stories showing the impact of the murderous regimes in Haiti on the lives of ordinary people. Not only did the torture, murder of loved ones and general lack of safety affect the characters, but also the extreme poverty. Those few with any resources at all, including control of the one fresh water tap in a neighborhood, would take advantage of everyone else. There is one martyr hero who tries to make a difference, but who knows if it was anything but a moment of foolishness.
I also liked the theme of what is it that allows a person to be a torturer, and what can change them and then how do they live with what they've done. This is presented side by side with those who carry the trauma of being tortured and it seems that both sides lose. Most of the characters end up leaving Haiti and making it to Brooklyn, and so we see the trauma carried into new lives and even into the next generations. It is sad to see what this nation formed from slaves who won their freedom from French colonialists in 1804 has become in the modern era.
Danticat does an excellent job in these stories showing the impact of the murderous regimes in Haiti on the lives of ordinary people. Not only did the torture, murder of loved ones and general lack of safety affect the characters, but also the extreme poverty. Those few with any resources at all, including control of the one fresh water tap in a neighborhood, would take advantage of everyone else. There is one martyr hero who tries to make a difference, but who knows if it was anything but a moment of foolishness.
I also liked the theme of what is it that allows a person to be a torturer, and what can change them and then how do they live with what they've done. This is presented side by side with those who carry the trauma of being tortured and it seems that both sides lose. Most of the characters end up leaving Haiti and making it to Brooklyn, and so we see the trauma carried into new lives and even into the next generations. It is sad to see what this nation formed from slaves who won their freedom from French colonialists in 1804 has become in the modern era.
3.5
a super intense read! the writing style is pretty straightforward but the content is interesting!
a super intense read! the writing style is pretty straightforward but the content is interesting!
dark
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved this book for the first half but it couldn't hold my interest and it eventually just lost me in the second half.
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
At first, I didn't realize that all of the short stories are connected. When I did, I loved this book even more! Danticat is just amazing at making Haitian history come to life.
