It is 1937, and Amabelle Desir is a young Haitian woman working as a maid for a wealthy family in the Dominican Republic, across the border from her homeland. The Republic, under the iron rule of the Generalissimo, treats the Haitians as second-class citizens, and although Amabelle feels a strong sense of loyalty to her employers, especially since her own parents drowned crossing the river from Haiti, racial tensions are heightened when Amabelle's boss accidentally kills a Haitian in a car accident. The accident is a catalyst for a systematic round-up of Haitians, ostensibly for repatriation but in fact a prelude to slaughter. Amabelle, caught up in the chaos and confusion, returns to Haiti after much hardship to make a new life, but is for years uncertain of the fate of her lover, Sebastian, and haunted by a nagging sense of guilt.
A powerful, fiercely economical and deceptively moving work, blending historical accuracy with lyrical brilliance.
- ISBN10 0613215222
- ISBN13 9780613215220
- Publish Date 1 September 1999 (first published 4 March 1999)
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 17 March 2021
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Econo-Clad Books, Div. of American Cos., Inc.
- Edition Turtleback School & Library ed.
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 312
- Language English