Reviews

Haiti Noir by Edwidge Danticat

dvnjii's review

got too dark for me. 

chloekg's review

3.0

Heat and humanity are inescapable in this collection of short intrigues. Family and lovers take prominent position, with the power of strangers undeniable among the Haitian streets and gardens. Some stories are rivetingly good. Others are a burden even to skim. Good entertainment to say goodbye to the Northeast winter.

andrewbentley's review

challenging dark informative tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Masterfully crafted Haitian voices about diaspora, spirituality, magic, violence, and everything in between.

wallacha4's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

radbear76's review

4.0

Most of the stories are excellent and the anthology gives some insight into a country and culture I know little about.

kevinmccarrick's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

bgg616's review

5.0

This is not traditional noir, but rather stories of Haiti, which are dark. All but 2 of the authors are Haitian or Haitian American. The 2 non-Haitians are Mark Kurlansky who worked for 8 years in the Caribbean, writing about Haiti, and Madison Smartt Bell, who has written a trilogy about the Haitian revolution. A number of the Haitian authors wrote in Kreyol and these have been translated. There is an authenticity about this book that I believe is due to Danticat's meticulous job as editor. Three of the stories deal with the 2010 earthquake.

julieartz's review

4.0

A collection of heart-wrenching short stories about Haiti. Many focus on the 2010 earthquake, all write with raw, brutal honesty about Haitian life.

stacyaj's review

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

3.5

bougainvillea's review

2.0

I really feel like the stronger pieces were at the beginning of the collection. With a lot of the ones at the end, I was left thinking "what was the point of that?". I did not enjoy the David Ball translations at all. They were all awkward and choppy. Large's piece seems to have been written in English originally, with mixed results. A lot of the pieces didn't really seem like Noir to me, but I'm no expert on the genre.

My favorites: Danticat's piece --very powerful and the end just sneaks up on you. "The Harem", "Odette" by Patrick Sylvain did make me cry although I didn't love it. I enjoyed the pieces by Mars and Trouillot as well. Some of the other stories were well written, but I couldn't see how they qualified as noir and it bugs me when essential elements of the short story structure are missing, although that's just the teacher in me talking. I'll try to shut her up.