The Dew Breaker by Edwidge Danticat is a book that I’ve read recently that was written in a fascinating format. Danticat reserved each chapter of the book to transport the reader to a different location, perspective, and/or time. Although, readers soon figure out that all of the chapters and characters are connected throughout a large and mysterious plotline.
The book centers around the stories of many Haitian immigrants living in the US, as well as including sections of the books taking place on the island itself. The main storyline is that of a murderer, or “dew breaker,” who worked for the Haitian regime during the 1960s. The murderer’s story is told through the eyes of the people around him, including his daughter, wife, and tenants who rent out rooms in his house in New York City.
The Dew Breaker isn’t intriguing and difficult in the sense that its language is advanced. On the contrary, Danticat’s writing isn’t difficult to understand at all. Her plotline and, at times, the goriness of the story make up for the simple language she uses. Similarly, the fact that the book jumps around makes it just as difficult to read as Shakespeare.
I would recommend this book for many age ranges. It’s such an interesting and intriguing story, and the lack of complex language made it perfect for my middle-school level of reading and understanding. But, to be sure, this isn’t a children’s story, so I would specifically not recommend it to anyone under the age of 12 or 13.
The Dew Breaker was fascinating to me because it explored so many different plotlines and characters’ stories, and yet Danticat was still able to maintain a clear narrative. I’ve already said that Danticat’s writing isn’t complex, and she does use simple language and clear methods. But, what was much more complex about the story was Danticat’s method of narrative and storytelling. She used things like constantly switching between first and third-person narration, not to mention completing changing storylines every chapter. Because I’ve been exploring writing styles and methods during these past few months, I’ve become increasingly aware of authors’ methods of storytelling and how important that is.
I enjoyed this book not just because of its interesting theme of Haitian immigrants and trauma, but also because of the beautiful craftsmanship in its writing. Danticat truly created a wonderful book that I will continue to recommend to many people, including you!
Genre: fiction, contemporary/historical fiction, short stories
Age: 12/13+
Rating: 7/10