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M.J. Fiévre   Pages: 170   Published: 2015

The book: This is M.J. Fiévre’s memoir of growing up in Haiti during the rise and fall of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, which was a violent time for the country.
While chaos reigns outside in the streets, inside Fiévre’s own home there are also tumultuous times, and her family tiptoes on eggshells around her father and his mood swings.

You might like it because: Fiévre’s writing is rich and vivid as she brings to life both the horror and the beauty of her country. At times I could almost feel the humidity on my own skin as she described the hot, humid, airless nights in in Haiti. She writes with authenticity and incredible empathy.

What did other people say?
“A Sky the Color of Chaos is a strikingly honest, raw examination of Fièvre’s life, of the fears that could have left her as damaged as her own father or as ravaged as her country. And she knows that she will always carry them with her.” – Miami Herald

“A Sky the Color of Chaos is elevated to a level of greatness by being that perfect mixture of compelling events and characters and masterful detail with stunning prose.”
–The Literary Review

How quickly will you get into the book? Fiévre’s wonderful prose pulled me in from the very first page.

You might not like it because: Fiévre’s prose is very rich and descriptive, and some readers may prefer a more straightforward telling of her memoir.

What might you read next?
In the memoir, Fiévre mentions reading Marcel Pagnol. You could read his novel Jean De Florette, which is set in rural France.

She also mentions reading Haitian author Jacques Stephen Alexis. Try his novel In the Flicker of an Eyelid.

Or read Fabienne Josephat’s Dancing in The Baron’s Shadow, set in Haiti during the time of Papa Doc Duval.

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