A review by saralynnburnett
Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat

4.0

I always find it interesting to read an author's debut after I'm already familiar with their latest works and honestly, Danticat can do no wrong, at least in my eyes, which is why this edition of Breath, Eyes, Memory was so great (20th anniversary edition) because it had a retrospective at the end and an interview with the author. Here you'll find fascinating insights into what it's like for authors to reread their earliest works, what this book meant to the Haitian community, and what sort of feedback the author got on it from them (it wasn't great).

I think that there is an unfair "responsibility" that authors writing from underrepresented communities have to carry: to somehow "get it right" / make everyone happy, even though what the community whats to hear and see themselves on the page as might not be the story that the author wants to tell. I have a lot of thoughts on that but they're very muddled at the moment!

Highly recommend this novel. It is one that will stay with you.