Speak to me of things the world has yet to truly understand, of the instant meaning of each bird’s call, of a child’s secret thought in her mother’s womb, of the measured rhythmical time of every man and woman’s breath, of the true colors of the inside of the moon, of the larger miracles in small things, the deeper mysteries.

Before starting this novel, I did not read the book cover, hence I did not know what it was going to be about. Reading a Caribbean author, I expected magical realism, instead I got a brutal, detailed realism. Although the story begins with a dream of Sebastian, a secondary character, it is the main character, Anabelle who tells her story, both past and present. Living as a Haitian servant in the Dominican Republic, she takes care of her “patrona” (boss) during the day and spends the nights with Sebastian who comforts her nightmares. That is their life – she serves and he works all day in the cane fields – missing their families and life in Haiti.

At first, the political situation is rather tranquil, readers get glimpses of the Generalisimo’s (Rafael Trujillo, the Dominican dictator) power, but nothing brutal. Through powerful water images (rivers and waterfalls), Danticat lets readers in a narrative that seems, in part, very personal. She tells Anabelle’s story – a tale that reflects the lives of Haitians in the Dominican Republic, facing discrimination for no apparent reason and a life serving others justified by the lack of opportunity and safety back in their country. A tale that one night becomes a story of despair and death.

In a breathtaking birth scene, Anabelle remembers her parents and, through flashbacks, readers understand where she comes from, they understand why she is where she is, why she can handle a birth so smoothly and why she can’t go back to her country. Her performance during the birth gives her an opportunity to change her reality, nevertheless, the politics behind it all has other plans for her.

The novel is a story of loss and survival, of strong distant, yet familiar, ties. It is the story of a single word – perejil- and how the tricky rolling “r” and the strong “j” marked the terrible destiny of many Haitians, whose only crime was being born on the other side of the island.

About Edwidge Danticat

Edwidge Danticat was born in 1969 in Port-au-Prince. When she was a teenager, she moved to New York to join her parents. There she experienced a difficult adaptation period because of her Haitian background, her accent and way of life. Not only does she incorporate these feelings in her writing, this was one of the inspirations for her to pursue a undergraduate degree in French Literature from Barnard College. In her award-winning novels, she writes about Haitian history, the situation of Haitian women and the hardships the country underwent. She wrote “The Farming of Bones” in 1998 for which she won the American Book Award.

Other books written by Haitian authors

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Haitian initiatives and projects that support and empower girls and women

Lide Haiti

Lidè Haiti is a fascinating organization that uses literature and art to empower girls, nurture resilience and provide equal access to education. It was founded in 2010 after the earthquake by three people that saw the difficulties girls, specifically 11 to 21 year olds, encounter after such disasters. With their art program, they help girls discover their  unique, strong voice that can be expressed through art, writing, and photography. They also have a transition program that helps girls understand and deal with the challenges they will face as they became women. Additionally, they have centers for learning, programs for differently abled youth and capacity building workshops for other grassroots organizations to achieve their mission and vision.