I just finished reading Danticat's latest novel, Claire of the Sea Light. Although the text was enthralling (and the interconnected episodic chapters, which link it structurally with The Dew Breaker, works quite well) and engaging, I am still unsure what to think. At times the novel seemed to clearly allude to recent events or current problems in Haitian society (such as the deteriorating conditions of the country due to deforestation, causing soil erosion, and increases in extreme weather), but remained optimistic. Claire, the titular character, is a young girl whose mother died during her birth, and her father, an illiterate fisherman living in poverty, wants to give her away as a daughter to the childless widow, Madame Gaelle. However, Danticat perfectly weaves together several other characters into their own sub-plots, which all come together thematically and link the characters to their past, present, and future. Definitely worth reading, but as I am still unsure of my final thoughts on the novel, I will have to postpone a further analysis.
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