Krik? Krak!

Krik! Krak! Edwidge Dandicat's second stroke of genius (the first being Breath, Eyes, Memory), takes readers through the terrors and triumphs of Haitian life with nine short stories. In Haitian folklore, storytellers say Krik! to alert listeners that a story is about to be told. Krak! is the response of listeners alerting the storyteller that they want a good tale told. Dandicat not only captures the essence of Haiti, but the deeper levels of the human spirit with her trademark lyrical prose. A doomed refugee adrift on a cruel sea, a knowing prostitute and a frustrated father battling with the truth of his own dismal future are among the most memorable characters. Reading Danticat's splendid collection of stories gives you access to a world of people and places that you will grow to love. With tragic characters, subtle images of beauty and hope, and gestures that are never overdone. Danticat's writing accomplishes the greatest task of any short story writer; she lets you empathize with her characters and walk around in their shoes. These stories are good for the heart. In a time when book stores' shelves groan beneath the weight of "girlfriend fiction," Dandicat's work is a refreshing reminder that good literature is not dead!

Imagine visiting your mother in prison. Seeing her with a shaved head and so skinny you can see the depths of her rib cage. Imagine having to bring your mother a small portion of fried pork and having her eat it in bite size portions so she could save it to last for months. Imagine hearing your mother use her voice for the first time in days and the sorrowful, wispy tone that she would try to create. Imaging trying to speak to your mother but struggling to conjure up even the simplest words. This all becomes true in the story titled Nineteen Thirty-Seven from Edwidge Danticat's book Krik? Krak! The book tells nine stories of Haitian sorrow, pain, and love. Specifically in the story Nineteen Thirty-Seven, Danticat tells the story through a daughter's eye of a mother (Manman) imprisoned by the Haitian government. The story shows the sorrow felt by the daughter for having her mother imprisoned and seeing her in such horrific conditions, but also shows the faith the mother has; a theme that can be seen in the entire book. I suggest this book and "The Farming of Bones" by Danticat: both highly educate the reader to the horrors of the Haitian people.

The first thing that came to my mind while reading Edwidge Danticat's collection Krik? Krak! is that it is pure poetry. The first lines in "Children of the Sea", the first short story in the collection, are "They say behind the mountains are more mountains. Now I know it's true. I also know there are timeless waters, endless seas, and lots of people in this world whose names don't matter to anyone but themselves." The lyrical poetic style is consistent throughout all of Danticat's prose, which makes Krik? Krak! an easy and beautiful book to read despite the heavy issues addressed in each story within it. In Haiti a story-teller will say "Krik?" and anyone wishing to hear the story answers, "Krak!" and this is the basis for many of the stories Danticat writes.And many important themes are dealt with in these deceptively simple stories. Most of them encompass three main issues: Poverty and hard times in Haiti, mother and daughter relationships and the self-awareness brought to each because of them, and the transition of immigrants. In Haiti a story-teller will say "Krik?" and anyone wishing to hear the story answers, "Krak!" and this is the basis for many of the stories Danticat writes. Although each story can be easily summarized, the underlying theme and unexpected conclusions reveal much more about life, especially a life of poverty and despair.In "Children of the Sea", a young man on a ship from Haiti to the US writes letters to his girlfriend and Haiti and she writes letters to him, although they cannot send them to each other. In "Nineteen Thirty-Seven", a girl visits her mother, who is in prison for being accused of witch-craft. "A Wall of Fire Rising" is in interesting perception of poverty, in which a mother and afather trying to raise their young boy in a happy environment face insurmountable pressures. The central character in "Night Women" is a mother who works as a prostitute in order to support her son while in "Between the Pool and the Gardenias" it is a young sterile woman who greatly desires a child even among the poverty and distress so many young children face in Haiti. A young motherless girl befriends an American journalist during the war in Haiti in "The Missing Peacce" and another young girl is painted naked by a French artist in "Seeing Things Simply". A woman randomly sees her mother walking down the street in New York City in "New York Day Women" and realizes that she has a life unto herself, while in "Caroline's Wedding", the longest and last short story in the book, a daugther gets married to a man her mother disapproves of because he is not Haitian.Perhaps the most poignant part of "Krik? Krak!" is the epilogue which reveals why Edwidge Danticat, the young author of the book, writes these stories. For her and many other women they represent an oral history passed down from mother to daughter, and from that daughter to her daughter and so on. Each short story in this book is an example of such a rich oral tradition and i

I picked Krik? Krak? from a bookshelf at the guest house in Port-au-Prince where I was staying just to kill some time before friends came to get me. However, 2 hours later, I had devoured it from cover to cover. The most amazing story is "Children of the Sea" and it proceeds from there to tell the history of a family, through short stories that connect Haiti, the US and all people. Friends I have lent this book to, agree. All of Edwidge Danticat's work is incredible.

Krik! Krak! is filled with beautifully haunting imagery, passion, poignancy, strength, and courage. Most of the short stories center on the idea that the essence of life lies in survival- not everyone survives, but there are amazing spiritual moments, reminiscent of the Phoenix rising from the ashes. buy this book, buy some kleenax, and settle in for a good cry and a better read.