Audible Book Review: Ayiti by Roxane Gay

This was not what I expected, but very interesting in its own right.

Ayiti

By: Roxane Gay

Narrated by: Roxane Gay

Length: 2 hrs and 46 mins

Unabridged Audiobook

Release date: 07-17-18

Publisher: Audible Studios

Genre: Anthology, Collection, Short Stories

My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.25.

Publisher's Summary From New York Times best-selling powerhouse Roxane Gay, Ayiti is a powerful collection exploring the Haitian diaspora experience. Originally published by a small press, this edition will make Gay’s debut widely available for the first time, including several new stories. In Ayiti, a married couple seeking boat passage to America prepares to leave their homeland. A young woman procures a voodoo love potion to ensnare a childhood classmate. A mother takes a foreign soldier into her home as a boarder, and into her bed. And a woman conceives a daughter on the bank of a river while fleeing a horrific massacre, a daughter who later moves to America for a new life but is perpetually haunted by the mysterious scent of blood. These early stories showcase Gay’s prowess as "one of the voices of our age” (National Post, Canada). ©2011, 2018 Roxane Gay. Recorded by arrangement with Grove Atlantic, Inc. (P)2018 Audible, Inc.

Review:

Ayiti: meaning Haiti.  This is an interesting collection of stories that are mostly not easy listening. Ms. Ayiti tells the tales of various Haitians or their children showing their experiences in Haiti and beyond. After I started listening I looked up the meaning of diaspora: A diaspora (/daɪˈæspərə/) is a scattered population whose origin lies in a separate geographic locale.

The experiences are at times distressing, horrifying, haunting, and touching. One particularly striking story tells of a grandmother’s experience at Massacre River, a river that divides Haiti and the Dominican Republic which the author describes as a border between two geographies of grief.” The tales describe the horrors of the past, the memories of her grandmother, and the lifelong impact the event had on her.

I almost didn’t get too far along because the language is very raw (foul) and graphic (rape and sex). I didn’t realize that the stories have been included as erotica, which is a genre/material I don’t generally read. Provided the raw language and sexual content wouldn’t bother the reader, I recommend this to readers who enjoy history and immigrant experiences.

Audio Notes: Roxane Gay narrates her own collection and does a good job. Not only does her voice fit the work, but she brings her own energy. It is likely I would not have read this in print so I am glad I picked up the audible on Daily Deal.

Source: 05/25/2019 Audible Daily Deal $.99. This qualifies for 2020TBR and 2020Audiobook goals.