Claire of the Sea Light

Young Claire's story takes place in a Haitian fishing village, and Robin Miles, as narrator, is a master of the language and its unique pronunciations. Her ease with accents helps create a sense of place, but her overall pacing is halting, to the point of sounding too heavy at times. This problem loosens up somewhat as the audiobook progresses, but it does impact its appeal as a whole. The story of Claire's disappearance seems to unfold in slow motion, and Miles's vocals lack the distinctive quality that would enrapture a listener. Fans of Danticat may be drawn in by the author's compassionate voice; Miles's performance is reasonably good, while not resounding. L.B.F. (c) AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine

Starred review from May 27, 2013
In this gorgeous, arresting, and profoundly vivid new novel, Danticat once again tells a story that feels as mysterious and magical as a folk tale and as effective and devastating as a newsreel. Claire Limyè Lanmè (“Claire of the Sea Light”) is turning seven, and yet her birthday has always been marked by both death and renewal. Claire’s mother died in childbirth, and she has been raised by her fisherman father in a shack near the sea. The book begins there—in the shack, on the morning of her birthday—before winding back to tell the story of every previous birthday, and who lived, and died, each year. For some time, Claire’s father has considered giving her to a wealthy businesswoman who lost her own daughter, and the heartbreaking question of Claire’s fate adds to the novel’s suspense, as both the past, and this single day, unfold. In the meantime, Danticat (Krik? Krak!) paints a stunning portrait of this small Haitian town, in which the equally impossible choices of life and death play out every day. Agent: Nicole Aragi, Nicole Aragi Agency.

December 1, 2013

Danticat (Brother, I'm Dying) offers a spare story of loss, human failings, great sacrifice, and love. Seven-year-old Haitian Claire Limye Lanme's mother died in childbirth. The girl's father, Nozias, a fisherman who desperately needs to leave the village to make more money, is struggling with the decision to allow someone else to raise his daughter. He settles on Gaelle Lavaud, a prosperous fabric store owner who lost her own daughter, and tries to convince her to take his. On her seventh birthday, Claire goes missing. Danticat moves backward in time to tell the stories of Claire and her neighbors as the community comes together to find the missing child. Veteran narrator Robin Miles captures the French/Creole pronunciation beautifully and immerses the listener in the setting. VERDICT This beautifully written story transcends its Haitian setting to tell a universal story of human connectedness. ["[Danticat] has the ability to conjure up the rarified air of Haiti as she manages to pull tightly at one's heartstrings; this novel is no exception," read the starred review of the Knopf hc, LJ 9/1/13; one of LJ's Best Books of 2013, see p. 26.]--Judy Murray, Monroe Cty. Lib. Syst., Temperance, MI

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