A review by bookreviewswithkb
Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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? Yes

4.5

4.5 ✨
will make you cry 
literary fiction 
#readcaribbeanmonth pick

what do we miss out on when womens’ worth is determined by their virginity, their perceived wholeness, never having been touched? what do we miss out on when womens’ worth is determined by their cooking skills, how they bake and wash and iron and scrub? what do we miss out on when womens’ worth is tied to being a mother? what do we miss out on when women themselves believe their worth is tied to what they can give to others through their bodies, and they pass this on to their own daughters, and they never have the chance to heal from the trauma they’ve experienced? what do we miss out on…

“there is always a place where women live near trees that, blowing in the wind, sound like music. these women tell stories to their children both to frighten and delight them. these women, they are fluttering lanterns on the hills, the fireflies in the night, the faces that loom over you and recreate the same unspeakable acts they themselves lived through.”
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