Though I read After the Dance several years ago, it is now, after finally seeing Jacmel for the first time last month, that I appreciate Danticat's explorations of Jacmel's historical, cultural, artistic, literary, and architectural legacies. Alas, I did not spend enough time walking around the city, but from what I saw of its city center, the historic buildings with doors dating back over a century, the lovely beach and Lakou New York, Bassin Bleu, the delicious food, and the lush, green mountains in that part of Haiti, Jacmel lives up to its reputation as a tourist center and more livable place than the crowded (and filthy) Port-au-Prince.
Indeed, we found out that one of my mom's cousins now stays mostly in Jacmel for precisely that region, and my mom told me about how her aunt and uncle (they lived in Carrefour in the 1950s and 1960s, before it became what it is today) used to vacation in La Vallee de Jacmel during the summer, so we have family connections in the Jacmel area and Bainet. In addition, several people I met discussed various aspects of Jacmel's heritage and history that Danticat covers, including Hadriana dans tous mes reves. The following are things I will have to do next time I am in Jacmel: see the house where Bolivar stayed, experience carnival, see the cemetery, see the Habitation Price steam engine, visit Fort Oge, and explore the city's historic character, neighborhoods, and go to a Jacmel market. Living up to her talents as a storyteller, Danticat wrote a short, accessible, and informative account of Jacmel's charms.
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