Parts of the book made me feel uncomfortable and guilty that I’ve never had to live a life such as theirs, but that’s the beauty of this book and the writing that so perfectly and easily transported me into these people’s lives, with their fears and desires laid so bare. There is violence, sadness and an undercurrent of sorrow throughout the book, with just glimpses of happiness. I know I’m making it sound awful, but I like to judge a book by how deeply it can make me feel, and this book went deep.Īyiti is a collection of Gay’s short stories which have been republished recently. Gay once again traces back her Haitian roots and beautifully incorporates the experience of her American upbringing in her stories from the perspective of a Haitian immigrant.
She has a scathing and honest insight into experiences that are sometimes routine but sometimes very specific to Haitian diaspora. Haiti, as Gay,describes is a “land of contradictions”. It is rich in culture and natural beauty but it the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Crime and poverty are ripe so is illegal immigration to Miami. Stories dedicated to these issues offer insight into life in Haiti, where kidnappings and rape are a part of life. This was a topic she developed further in another of her novels, An Untamed State. The Haitians who move to America face issues like unemployment and bullying due to skin colour, accent or any other seemingly unimportant reason.
