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aamisura's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lucyspal3's review
5.0
These will be stories that stay with me. One held on so tightly that I ended up getting out of bed in the middle of the night to donate to a women’s charity, it was the only way to sooth the voices.
thando_adu's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely outstanding. Roxane Gay’s fiction writing is not only wonderfully descriptive but naturally captivating. One of the easiest and most enjoyable collection of short stories I have read in a while.
annajagoda's review against another edition
4.0
Some brilliant imagery and moving stories focusing on the Haitian and Haitian-American experiences. Beautifully written with a wide arrays of mediums, including poems, half-a-page stories and a letter written entirely in Spanish, addressed to Nicaragua.
The only thing I disliked was the very last story which felt like an out of place erotica. After all the beautiful, moving writing we'd just witnessed to end on a pretty graphic sex scene gave me whiplash. Unfortunately it's not how you start but how you finish, so that last story lost Ayiti a star.
The only thing I disliked was the very last story which felt like an out of place erotica. After all the beautiful, moving writing we'd just witnessed to end on a pretty graphic sex scene gave me whiplash. Unfortunately it's not how you start but how you finish, so that last story lost Ayiti a star.
abhimanyulodha's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
TLDR - This was 7/10 for me. Ayiti is a striking collection of short stories exploring Haitian identity, migration, love, survival, and a touch of erotica.
Trivia: Ayiti is the native name for Haiti, meaning “land of high mountains.”
It is a collection of minimalist yet evocative and haunting stories that pulse with raw emotion. Gay masterfully captures the dualities faced by Haitians—those who remain in their homeland and those who leave in search of better lives—while delving into themes of displacement, belonging, and resilience.
My personal favorite was “The Dirt We Do Not Eat”—I had goosebumps when I read the last line.
The book picks up pace from the third story onward and builds to a powerful finish. Gay’s characters are ordinary Haitians navigating extraordinary struggles—poverty, violence, and exile—yet their humanity shines through in every line.
Read this if you’re curious about Haitian culture or enjoy stories about migration and identity. Skip this if you prefer well defined closure.
Trivia: Ayiti is the native name for Haiti, meaning “land of high mountains.”
It is a collection of minimalist yet evocative and haunting stories that pulse with raw emotion. Gay masterfully captures the dualities faced by Haitians—those who remain in their homeland and those who leave in search of better lives—while delving into themes of displacement, belonging, and resilience.
My personal favorite was “The Dirt We Do Not Eat”—I had goosebumps when I read the last line.
The book picks up pace from the third story onward and builds to a powerful finish. Gay’s characters are ordinary Haitians navigating extraordinary struggles—poverty, violence, and exile—yet their humanity shines through in every line.
Read this if you’re curious about Haitian culture or enjoy stories about migration and identity. Skip this if you prefer well defined closure.
verygeo's review
4.0
4.7 cover to cover devoured this, some of the most evocative short stories i have ever read. was specifically torn to shreds by “of ghosts and shadows” !
madelinepuckett's review against another edition
4.0
As I tend to do with all of Roxane Gay’s books, I devoured this one in a single sitting. Every piece of Gay’s writing - both fiction and nonfiction - has a unique vibration that is deep and penetrating.
This collection of short stories centers around Haiti. Stories oscillate between immigrants’ journeys away from their country of origin and journeys home to face past traumas and family history.
Sexual violence and trauma is one of the themes explored, especially in one woman’s story of her marriage and honeymoon kidnapping. Much of Gay’s writing tends to overlap, and although I was reminded of her novel An Untamed State it was different enough to create its own reading experience.
If you’re familiar with Gay’s writing, this collection may strike as redundant with some stories (much like her other collection, Difficult Women). But if you are a fan of her writing, you will enjoy this book.
This collection of short stories centers around Haiti. Stories oscillate between immigrants’ journeys away from their country of origin and journeys home to face past traumas and family history.
Sexual violence and trauma is one of the themes explored, especially in one woman’s story of her marriage and honeymoon kidnapping. Much of Gay’s writing tends to overlap, and although I was reminded of her novel An Untamed State it was different enough to create its own reading experience.
If you’re familiar with Gay’s writing, this collection may strike as redundant with some stories (much like her other collection, Difficult Women). But if you are a fan of her writing, you will enjoy this book.
susiedoom's review
5.0
Yes, it's true, I will read anything Roxane Gay writes. From memoirs to short stories to TV recaps, I'm all in. Much of Gay's post-Bad Feminist work has received (well deserved) recognition, so I'm really pleased that her debut collection is being released again. These stories show great range and depth of the Haitian experience, and they flow and merge perfectly. Roxane Gay has a remarkable talent for writing the physical manifestations of human emotion in a way that makes me feel everything in my own bones. These stories and the characters in them are beautifully complex and deeply moving.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.