Over the next decade, Sophie and Martine's relationship grows both deeper and more strained as Martine reveals stories from her past: the rape that resulted in Sophie's birth, the way that violent political upheaval touched every Haitian's life, and the horrors that spring forth when women's worth is determined by their virginity.īut while turmoil and bloodshed saturate Sophie's tale from the very beginning, her story also reveals Haitian folklore and spirituality. Instead of all that, Breath, Eyes, Memory has trauma, political upheaval, and the life-warping experience of moving from the Caribbean to the US of A.Īfter all, we're following the experiences of protagonist Sophie Caco, a girl who relocates from Haiti to Brooklyn at the age of twelve to stay with her haunted mother, Martine. Breath, Eyes, Memory isn't a "pink piece" to be filed under the dreaded category of "Chick Lit."Īfter all, when you hear "chick lit," you think of tamer romance novels: frilly dresses, fancy parties, men with Fabio hair, and moonlit horseback rides next to castles. Edwidge Danticat's book landed on Oprah's Book Club reading list in 1998, four years after this dynamo of a debut novel hit the bookstore shelves.
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