It would take a long time to unwrap the many layers of metaphor in this ribald and colorful yet strangely haunting novel, written by a son of Haiti who was born in the seaside town of Jacmel, the very setting he so vividly describes here . . . By contrasting Haitian vodou with traditional Christianity, and pitting color and class lines against each other, Depestre presents a rich and nuanced exploration of large and significant themes expertly couched in one fantastical, expertly translated tale.-- "Booklist, Starred Review"
The most important thing a work-in-translation can offer a reader [is] perspective on a place, people, and language we don't immediately have access to, or one that runs counter to conventional, cliché narratives. Glover's book does that in aces.-- "Words Without Borders"
The sights and sounds of Haiti's vibrant carnival season invigorate this tale of vodou and Haitian culture . . . The truth of Hadriana's fate proves more poignant than horrifying, but in Depestre's hands, this incident is a touchstone of a culture in which distinctions between the empirical and spiritual are obscured, and whose traditional celebrations and beliefs introduce an element of the mythic into the everyday. Eroticism and humor course through his narrative. Depestre's intimacy with his subject matter and his familiarity with the people he portrays--the story is set in his hometown, at the time when he was 12 years old--give readers an insider's look at Jacmelian culture.-- "Publishers Weekly"
The story is beautifully written in lyrical prose . . . Readers interested in Haitian culture will appreciate this novel and will enjoy Depestre's details about the voodoo culture as it was understood in the first half of the 20th century.-- "Historical Novels Review"
You do not need to believe in zombies or Vodou to be carried away by this story--a metaphor for all forms of dispossession . . . René Depestre has gone beyond nostalgia to write a sumptuous love story.-- "Le Monde"