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A review by lokroma
Devil Makes Three by Ben Fountain
4.0
I expected this book to be a run of the mill spy thriller, but I was completely surprised at how exceptionally good it is. Fountain must have spent a lot of time in Haiti, because the richness and vibrancy of the settings and characters feel like being there.
Set in 1991 immediately after Aristide was deposed, the country is in chaos and warring factions are trying to gain control. Matt Amaker is an American ex pat running a scuba dive operation who is caught in the upheaval and whose life is violently disrupted. His close relationship with a Haitian American brings him into contact with powerful people who use him and his diving skills to try and enrich themselves.
There is of course a tough female CIA agent, numerous Haitian generals and their well armed soldiers, a beleaguered doctor in charge of a run down clinic, a gorgeous Haitian English literature major visiting her family while on leave from Brown University, and numerous other mostly oddball characters. The dialog is smart and there is a lot of Creole thrown in, but you don't have to translate it to get what's going on.
The main character here though is Haiti. A dismally poor Haiti that has been exploited over and over again throughout its history. In this story the wealthy Haitians share nothing with impoverished Haitians and divert aid sent from other countries into their own pockets for yachts and palaces. The military and political leaders fight each other for dominance and use weaponized militias to kill and intimidate whichever Haitians annoy them at any particular time. And the U.S. inserts itself everywhere, trying, often unsuccessfully and with disastrous consequences for innocent people, to maintain control.
Set in 1991 immediately after Aristide was deposed, the country is in chaos and warring factions are trying to gain control. Matt Amaker is an American ex pat running a scuba dive operation who is caught in the upheaval and whose life is violently disrupted. His close relationship with a Haitian American brings him into contact with powerful people who use him and his diving skills to try and enrich themselves.
There is of course a tough female CIA agent, numerous Haitian generals and their well armed soldiers, a beleaguered doctor in charge of a run down clinic, a gorgeous Haitian English literature major visiting her family while on leave from Brown University, and numerous other mostly oddball characters. The dialog is smart and there is a lot of Creole thrown in, but you don't have to translate it to get what's going on.
The main character here though is Haiti. A dismally poor Haiti that has been exploited over and over again throughout its history. In this story the wealthy Haitians share nothing with impoverished Haitians and divert aid sent from other countries into their own pockets for yachts and palaces. The military and political leaders fight each other for dominance and use weaponized militias to kill and intimidate whichever Haitians annoy them at any particular time. And the U.S. inserts itself everywhere, trying, often unsuccessfully and with disastrous consequences for innocent people, to maintain control.