Set against the backdrop of a militarized coup in early 1990s Haiti, the story follows the intertwined lives of four young individuals. As they navigate the challenges of their environment, they grapple with their identities and strive to maintain hope amidst turmoil. Their experiences reflect the resilience of youth in the face of adversity, highlighting the personal and collective struggles during a tumultuous period in Haitian history.
The novel intricately weaves the lives of diverse characters against the backdrop of Haiti's cultural and ethnic complexity. Through the nonlinear narratives of Ruth, a Haitian-Syrian merchant facing her mortality; Catherine, a pianist returning home after a tragedy; Rose, an empath grappling with her past; Romulus, a seeking redemption; and Elsie, an Irish seer in search of guidance, the story explores themes of spirituality and community. It spans various locations and historical contexts, revealing the profound connections shaped by shared experiences and spiritual journeys.
An enriching, interpretive mode that focuses on the transnational connections between subjects of African descent as the central pole for investigation. This journey of radical new process invites readers to see creations by artists of African descent as legible within the context of African diasporic historical and cultural debates.
Told from a womanist perspective, this multi-layered narrative weaves together the voices of two generations of Haitians, exploring their personal struggles against the backdrop of postcolonial Haiti's violent history. The story delves into six centuries of turmoil, from colonialism and slavery to the aftermath of the Baby Doc regime's fall. The prose rhythm reflects Haitian Creole, enhancing the dramatic unfolding of the characters' lives intertwined by both familial bonds and shared bloodshed.
The story of the earthquake that devastated Haiti in 2010, told through ten voices In this masterful literary portrait of contemporary Haiti, Myriam J. A. Chancy deftly reveals the inner lives of ten people by recounting how each survives--or fails to survive--a catastrophe. Chancy's intimate prose draws the reader into the hopes, dreams and regrets of a cast of characters in Port-au-Prince: a wealthy expat with a secret daughter; an architect who drafts affordable housing for an NGO; a small-time drug trafficker who pines for a beautiful call girl; a sex worker and her business partner who are followed by a man they believe is the vodou spirit of death; an emigrant musician who drives a taxi; a teenaged girl who longs for the life she sees in a telenovela; a grieving mother in a camp for displaced people; her husband, an accountant forced to abandon the wife he loves; their son, who haunts them both; and the old woman selling produce in the market, who remembers them all. What Storm, What Thunder is a novel about hope, courage and the importance of community, and a moving study of a city brought to its knees by natural disaster.