Very interesting and memorable story contrasting the roles of two young Haitian women and the weight of social expectation upon them. ( )

This novel is a commentary on Haitian society and its hypocrises during the time of the Duvalier (or "Papa Doc") regime, made via the fate of a daughter of the Jeremiean mulatto elite, Violaine. It explores the deeply ingrained racism that was especially marked in Jérémie (a rather isolated town that is far along the mountainous south peninsula) and the deep tension between the preferred European influence on the mulatto culture and their African roots, particularly their fear and use of vodou. It also provides an insight into the rebellion against Duvalier's rule.

The story is told by multiple first-person narrators, initially Violaine and her marasa, or spiritual twin, Cocotte. Violaine is the daughter of one of the most prestigious mulatto families, whereas Cocotte is a black girl from the hills, who is brought to live with her marasa-sister in Jérémie as a concession by the mulatto family to the lwa (vodou spirits). Even in this relationship, though, the racism is clear. Cocotte has no real identity of her own - she is confidante and support to the fiery-tempered Violaine and pained observer of her downfall. As the narrative progresses to Violaine's emphatic rejection of her upbringing and its consequences, more viewpoints are introduced, some for only a single chapter.

To me, this is really a novel of ideas. Though it does have a clear narrative, the characters are often sketchy and two-dimensional. Even the relatively central relationship of the marasa sisters is unclear - their closeness is stated, not shown, and it leads to a lack of emotional weight in the story. This may not be unintentional however. The excellent introduction examines the traditional Haitian narrative of the mulatress who is turned into a zonbi because she is seduced by a black man and how Desquiron's story subverts this. Her heroine is not the perfect woman who will fulfill all her family's desires. She longs for Africa (or at least the mythologised Ginen) and longs to express it, and the tension between the blackness she feels and her family's mulatto propriety eventually come to a head.

I found the story surprisingly compelling, given the lack of characterisation. The sense of place was excellent - her descriptions of Jérémie and its surroundings were fabulous and the vodou ceremonies which punctuate the book were well described. The parts about the rebellion against Duvalier felt a little irrelevant to the main story (although ultimately Duvalier's rule was partially allowed because of the tensions between black and mulatto on the island, so thematically it wasn't totally irrelevant). It sometimes felt as if it perhaps had suffered a little in translation - speech was often very stilted and the different narrators didn't have individual voices or ways of speaking. However, I felt deeply involved in Haitian culture and society while I was reading it and it was a fascinating introduction to a troubled country. ( )