This mesmerizing, lyrical debut explores the lives of Haitian families aspiring to escape hardship and an earthquake's devastation. "An arresting account of the contemporary Haitian-American experience." -Publishers Weekly "This novel in short stories will appeal to readers of literary and Caribbean fiction." -Library Journal, Xpress Reviews Katia D. Ulysse's debut provides the rare opportunity to peer into the private lives of four secretive Haitian families. The interwoven narrative spans four decades-from 1970 through 2010-and drifts among various provinces in Haiti, the United States, churches, vodun temples, schools, strip clubs, and the grave. Ulysse introduces us to a childless Haitian American couple risking it all for a baby to call their own; a Florida-based predatory schoolteacher threatening students with deportation if they expose him; and the unforgettable Monsieur Boursicault, whose chain of funeral parlors makes him the wealthiest man in Haiti. This daring work of fiction is a departure from the standard narrative of political unrest on the island. Ulysse's characters are everyday people whose hopes for distant success are constantly challenged-but never totally swayed-by the hard realities accompanying the immigrant's journey

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