Ayiti Paperback – October 11, 2011

In her debut collection, "Ayiti," Roxane Gay gives us the gift of honest and authentic access to worlds that are unfamiliar to most. When a writer is faced with this situation -- knowing that their potential audience will likely be learning about a community / cultural for the first time with their book -- the writer can either chose to embrace that role, and serve as an educator or tour guide, careful and clear... Or they can, as Gay does (and writers like Sherman Alexie have before her) and ignore it, allow instead the reader to ride shotgun as she explore its landscape, the dark and the light."Ayiti" is a collection of short fiction, and each piece -- some as short as a page, other continuing on for several -- speaks to the Haitian experience: the harrowing and the beautiful, the harsh and the humorous, the illusion and the reality. The diversity of narrators and the approaches (one story, told in list form, went from clever to absolutely heart wrenching in three short pages; another piece, written to the country of Nicaragua, is a sly and effective critique on the power and influence of media) makes the reading of this book a pleasure.But what I can appreciate the most is where Gay meets the reader as an author. She is a sure-footed and honest, and you trust every choice she makes: what she shares and what she doesn't, what she dwells on and what she ignores, where she comes into the story and when she exits. Although each story is different, the character of Gay's writing remains the same.Gay has already made a name for herself within my internet-savvy generational of writers through her widely-published fiction and essays, and I hope that this book will introduce even more readers to her and her brilliant, ever-evolving work.

Roxane Gay has a way with words and Ayiti is a great example of that. The raw emotions and descriptions will keep you engaged with every short story

I so enjoyed this wonderfully evocative book. There was a simplicity yet lyricism to her language that made you want to savour each word. Every story evoked an emotion. Every story gave you pause to stop and contemplate. I could wrap my mind around these characters, mostly women, each with their distinct stories. I could empathise with the experience of being away from your homeland and the biased, oppressive perceptions of those who thought of themselves as better merely by being not from there.Roxanne Gay whetted my appetite and I look forward to reading more of her books with great anticipation.

In this short-story collection, Gay's prose is a joy to read. She portrays a raw, haunting, and vivid look into Haiti -- both its natural beauty and contrasting ugly poverty. However, I found myself wanting more from this collection of stories. Maybe I just wanted to read more of her stories. I'd just finished reading Gay's "An Untamed State," which I'd loved and is a novel based on one of the stories in this collection. That novel is raw and powerful and intense. Definitely read the short stories first and then her novel.

I've really been looking forward to this book. The stories in the collection are intense, provocative, and always interesting. All the stories are connected to Haiti, but the stories reveal different shades of the island so that it takes on a life of its own.'Things I Know about Fairy Tales' is one of my favorites. Outwardly, an account of a kidnapping, it's also a graphic retelling of ancient 'fairy tales' that views them in a completely different light. 'In the manner of water or light' is both disturbing and beautiful. There's a visceral intensity in this story that haunts you which you could say about most of the stories in the collection. There's great variation here, from short shorts to a great list ('you never knew how the waters ran so cruel so deep') and the longer stories.Overall, a must read!

This is a compelling book - Roxane Gay’scwroting is always excellent

I have yet to read anything by Roxane Gay that was not enthralling, thought provoking and beautifully crafted. This book is filled with sex, violence, sometimes those are intertwined. It is not a picture of an island but several small pieces of a large puzzle that can never be complete.

These powerful, carefully balanced stories take us into a geography of sorrow and pain, to almost quote the author. Her characters are often scarred and scared, living in the shadow of disaster, in a country, or escaping a country (Haiti) whose dysfuntionality is epic but often presented by the media in ways that are impersonal and distancing. Not here. You'll never think of a machete in the same way again after reading Ayiti, and your own privileged American life might seem shaken off-center. I knew Gay's creative nonfiction, but it didn't prepare me for the simple, stunning truths of this book.

Ayiti is a collection of Gay’s short stories which have been republished recently. Gay once again traces back her Haitian roots and beautifully incorporates the experience of her American upbringing in her stories from the perspective of a Haitian immigrant. She has a scathing and honest insight into experiences that are sometimes routine but sometimes very specific to Haitian diaspora.Haiti, as Gay,describes is a “land of contradictions”. It is rich in culture and natural beauty; but it the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Crime and poverty are ripe; so is illegal immigration to Miami. Stories dedicated to these issues offer insight into life in Haiti, where kidnappings and rape are a part of life. This was a topic she developed further in another of her novels, An Untamed State. The Haitians who move to America face issues like unemployment and bullying due to skin colour, accent or any other seemingly unimportant reason. Americans almost always use the Haitians, sometimes for comic relief, sometimes for carnal pleasures.Gay does what she is best at, she ventures into known territories with extreme deft; but what is brilliant is that she explores very uncomfortable areas with brutal honesty, yet adequate empathy. She is agnostic to the length of her stories, some just feel to be fragments of thought; yet convey very meaningful experiences.

AYITI by ROXANE GAYI have sat here for the last two hours and devoured this collection of short stories without a break. This was my first Roxane Gay experience even though I have seen and heard her name so much around here. I’m mad for not picking her work up sooner. Give me more! Give me all the Gay books!This collection is about the Haitian diaspora. Gay depicts the island as a country scarred by its experiences. It is home to many of the characters in these stories and they will always remember it and always love it, but they feel they must escape. Can you imagine that? Can you imagine loving your home but knowing the only way to survive is to leave? Not knowing that feeling is a privilege I need to remember that I have.I really enjoyed every single story and I was hanging on Gay’s every word like... I don’t have a simile good enough. I’m obsessed basically.

Excellent collection of short stories

WIFE READ