It is 1937, and Amabelle Desir is a young Haitian woman working as a maid for a wealthy family in the Dominican Republic, across the border from her homeland. The Republic, under the iron rule of the Generalissimo, treats the Haitians as second-class citizens, and although Amabelle feels a strong sense of loyalty to her employers, especially since her own parents drowned crossing the river from Haiti, racial tensions are heightened when Amabelle's boss accidentally kills a Haitian in a car accident. The accident is a catalyst for a systematic round-up of Haitians, ostensibly for repatriation but in fact a prelude to slaughter. Amabelle, caught up in the chaos and confusion, returns to Haiti after much hardship to make a new life, but is for years uncertain of the fate of her lover, Sebastian, and haunted by a nagging sense of guilt.

A powerful, fiercely economical and deceptively moving work, blending historical accuracy with lyrical brilliance.

* Repeat advertising campaign in the GUARDIAN * Review round-ups in the national press * Feature coverage to include SHE, RED, THE VOICE and PRIDE

About the Author
Edwidge Danticat is the author of a novel, BREATH, EYES, MEMORY, and a collection of interlinked stories, KRIK? KRAK!, which was shortlisted for the National Book Award in the US. She was also one of GRANTA's Best Young American Novelists.

Reviews
Extraordinary * TIME OUT *
Danticat delicately tiptoes through bougainvillaea and butterflies into minefields of rape, mayhem, insanity, suicide, terror. * Fay Weldon, MAIL ON SUNDAY *
A first novel of precocious maturity * INDEPENDENT *
A writer of great force with still more potential * INDEPENDENT *



Book Information
ISBN 9780349111636
Author Edwidge Danticat
Format Paperback
Page Count 320
Imprint Abacus
Publisher Little, Brown Book Group
Weight(grams) 219g
Dimensions(mm) 199mm * 132mm * 20mm