First Person Singular: Edwidge Danticat

By Robin D. Stone
Essence
3/04
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In her third novel, The Dew Breaker (Knopf; $22), Edwidge Danticat skillfully recreates lush Florida landscapes, the raw sounds and smells of New York City, and the horrors of an infamous Haitian torture chamber. Danticat-who's just 35-sees her native Haiti through the eyes of a wise old soul, following a community of Haitian refugees who feel decades of violence under the rule of dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier that began in 1971. The title character, whose real name is never revealed, is a rotund torturer known for his sadistic bent. "Shouket laroze," Danticat says. "It means someone who shakes, or stomps, the dew. Someone who doesn't want the night to end."

When the Dew Breaker is forced to leave Haiti, he moves to the United States, loses weight and assumes a new identity as a barber, husband and father in Brooklyn. The book begins as he confesses his hideous history to his grown daughter. From there, Danticat introduces several memorable characters whose lives have been shattered by his brutality. When some of his victims recognize him, do they allow him to live in anonymity? Or do they retaliate? There are no easy answers in this mesmerizing tale of redemption and regret.

Danticat, who earned praise for her novels Breath, Eyes, Memory (1994) and The Farming of Bones (1998), immigrated to the United States at age 12. She recently spoke with writer Robin D. Stone about the importance of place in her work:

"When I write, what helps me visualize a place is to have anchoring details. You can stare at a postcard and find yourself back there again."

"The characters in The Dew Breaker are searching for a home. When people are displaced, this becomes critical. They try to make their new home like the home they left, and at the same time they want to keep out what was scary. But sometimes you don't get to choose. Sometimes it all comes with you."