Claire of the Sea Light by Edwidge Danticat

Claire of the Sea Light

Edwidge Danticat

The focus of these lyrical, inter-linked stories shifts from a missing girl to individual members of a community who become drawn into the search for her. A contemporary Haitian setting along with each character’s back story, where rich and poor alike experience personal tragedy, make this an unflinching portrayal of a town bowed by loss but united with hope.

Extract
Judging from the pattern of the stars in the sky, it was close to midnight. The lights from the hills had faded and the crowd was thinning out. The townspeople were drifting away, heading home. He felt sad that he had nothing more to say to this woman who was offering Claire a new life, this woman who from now on his daughter would call mother.
Parallels
  • Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
  • The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis