Because We Are by Ted Oswald

I really loved this novel. I am sure it had a greater impact on me since it correlated so well with what I have experienced in my own visits to Haiti - and also with what I have read in historical accounts of Haiti, as well as other novels set in Haiti. (A favorite was Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende). The political unrest, the use of Creole vs. French languages, the treatment of women and children, the importance of having the appropriate shoes to be able to attend school, the importance of having "church clothes", even if you have no food to eat, the complexities of the "goodness vs. evil" in each Haitian leader - or want-to-be leader, the impact of the earthquake, hurricanes and sickness (HIV, cholera, etc) on the Haitians. I could go on and on. In the midst of this accurate portrayal of life in Cite Soleil, we have Libete and Jak, two children who are forced to live beyond their years.

Libete is obviously a "spirited child". She pursued "justice" at any cost. She made errors in judgment, but they were usually made because she judged things based only on what she knew at the time. Life is not as black & white as Libete chose to believe at times. People are complex and events are complex. Despite all of that, Libete was relentless in her search for who was responsible for the deaths of Claire and Gaspar. She also had every intention of returning to her hometown of La Gonave. While she was successful on both "missions", she discovers that things are not what she thought they were. I am happy that despite her stubbornness, she did take the time to listen to what people explained to her when push came to shove. I am glad that she actually listened to Limye, Jak and Elize when it was time for them to share their stories. Since these three people were very influential to Libete and some of her life choices, it was nice that she started seeing them as three-dimensional human beings, rather than a two-dimensional judgment of who she thought they were.

I loved the interweaving of the events, jumping back and forth in time. The reader doesn't necessarily know the chronological order of events, so it's hard to know if some events happen before or after other events. You would think that this might be confusing. In this story, it really doesn't matter. I am happy that Libete came to terms with the different people in her life, with their goodness and their faults/mistakes. I am very excited to read Ted Oswald's next novel, which I was able to buy when I was in Haiti last month.

Wendy's Rating: *****