First published 2013
Claire Limyè Lanmè lives in Ville Rose, Haiti, where her fisherman father Nozias raises her alone. Her mother died giving birth to her. Each year on Claire's birthday, Nozias takes her to visit her mother's grave and wrestles with an impossible choice. A local shopkeeper who lost her own child wants to adopt Claire and give her opportunities Nozias cannot provide. On Claire's seventh birthday, Nozias finally decides to let the woman take his daughter. That same night, Claire vanishes. As Nozias searches for her, the people of Ville Rose reveal their hidden connections to Claire and her family. The shopkeeper, the neighbors, the other fishermen all carry secrets that link their lives to the missing girl. Their stories unfold across the small seaside community, showing how loss and love bind people together in ways they never expected. The search for Claire becomes a journey into the heart of what makes a family and a community.
Genres: literary-fiction, african-literature, magical-realism, family-drama
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate, lyrical
Tropes: found-family, grief
Setting: Ville Rose, Haiti
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
238 pages · Hardcover · Knopf
Content warnings: death