What Storm, What Thunder by Myriam J.A. Chancy
American Book Award Winner
Aspen Words Literary Prize Finalist
A NPR, Boston Globe, New York Public Library, Chicago Public Library, and Library Journal Best Book of the Year
“Stunning.” —Margaret Atwood
- Sale Date
- ISBN
- 9781953534385
- Page Count
- 336
- Language
- English
- Dimensions
- 5½ x 8½
- Imprint
- Tin House
Meet the Author
Myriam J.A. Chancy
American Book Award Winner
Aspen Words Literary Prize Finalist
A NPR, Boston Globe, New York Public Library, Chicago Public Library, and Library Journal Best Book of the Year
“Stunning.” —Margaret Atwood
At the end of a long, sweltering day, an earthquake of 7.0 magnitude shakes the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince. Award-winning author Myriam J. A. Chancy masterfully charts the inner lives of the characters affected by the disaster—Richard, an expat and wealthy water-bottling executive with a secret daughter; the daughter, Anne, an architect who drafts affordable housing structures for a global NGO; a small-time drug trafficker, Leopold, who pines for a beautiful call girl; Sonia and her business partner, Dieudonné, who are followed by a man they believe is the vodou spirit of death; Didier, an emigrant musician who drives a taxi in Boston; Sara, a mother haunted by the ghosts of her children in an IDP camp; her husband, Olivier, an accountant forced to abandon the wife he loves; their son, Jonas, who haunts them both; and Ma Lou, the old woman selling produce in the market who remembers them all.
Brilliantly crafted, fiercely imagined, and deeply haunting, What Storm, What Thunder is a singular, stunning record, a reckoning of the heartbreaking trauma of disaster, and—at the same time—an unforgettable testimony to the tenacity of the human spirit.
Aspen Words Literary Prize Finalist
A NPR, Boston Globe, New York Public Library, Chicago Public Library, and Library Journal Best Book of the Year
“Stunning.” —Margaret Atwood
At the end of a long, sweltering day, an earthquake of 7.0 magnitude shakes the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince. Award-winning author Myriam J. A. Chancy masterfully charts the inner lives of the characters affected by the disaster—Richard, an expat and wealthy water-bottling executive with a secret daughter; the daughter, Anne, an architect who drafts affordable housing structures for a global NGO; a small-time drug trafficker, Leopold, who pines for a beautiful call girl; Sonia and her business partner, Dieudonné, who are followed by a man they believe is the vodou spirit of death; Didier, an emigrant musician who drives a taxi in Boston; Sara, a mother haunted by the ghosts of her children in an IDP camp; her husband, Olivier, an accountant forced to abandon the wife he loves; their son, Jonas, who haunts them both; and Ma Lou, the old woman selling produce in the market who remembers them all.
Brilliantly crafted, fiercely imagined, and deeply haunting, What Storm, What Thunder is a singular, stunning record, a reckoning of the heartbreaking trauma of disaster, and—at the same time—an unforgettable testimony to the tenacity of the human spirit.
Praise for What Storm, What Thunder
-
“A gorgeous, intimate voice. . . . A reminder of the extraordinary resilience, then as now, of the Haitian people.”—People Magazine “A heartbreaking tale of regret and resilience, and a fiery rebuke of racism, violence and greed.”
TIME -
“Written by a Haitian Canadian American author, this novel paints Haiti's 2010 earthquake and its aftermath through 10 points of view, from a wealthy water executive to an architect returning from Rwanda to deal with the earthquake's aftermath.”—The New York Times Book Review “Heartbreaking and haunting, this exploration of life in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, after it's hit by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake is sure to stay with you.”—Ms. Magazine “Incredibly powerful.”—BuzzFeed “Fascinating. . . . intimately written in such a way that you feel it.”
NPR Pop Culture Happy Hour -
“One of the finest examples of someone writing from a place of deep love and deep grief simultaneously--the story itself is wondrous and very, very human.”
Omar El Akkad, CBC
About the Imprint
Where the literary canon of tomorrow is born. Critically acclaimed titles that challenge, illuminate, and linger. Discover award-winning fiction, nonfiction, and poetry from emerging voices you’ll say you found first.
