Krik? Krak! [Paperback]

Edwidge Danticat (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 2, 1996

When Haitians tell a story, they say "Krik?" and the eager listeners answer "Krak!" In Krik? Krak! In her second novel, Edwidge Danticat establishes herself as the latest heir to that narrative tradition with nine stories that encompass both the cruelties and the high ideals of Haitian life. They tell of women who continue loving behind prison walls and in the face of unfathomable loss; of a people who resist the brutality of their rulers through the powers of imagination. The result is a collection that outrages, saddens, and transports the reader with its sheer beauty.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Danticat's collection of stories detailing daily life under dictatorship in Haiti was a finalist for the National Book Award.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

YA?Danticat, born under Haitian dictatorship, moved to the U.S. 12 years ago. Many of the stories in this moving collection reflect the misery she has observed from afar and leave readers with a deep sadness for her native country. Survivors at sea in a too-small, leaky boat endure any indignity for the chance at escape. Selections about those remaining in Haiti have a dreamlike quality. A woman must watch her mother rot in prison for political crimes. A young father longs so much to fly that he gives his life for a few moments in the air. A prostitute plies her trade while her son sleeps. "New York Day Women" shows what life might be like in the U.S. for immigrants without resources. Through unencumbered prose, the author explores the effects of politics on people and especially the consequences of oppression on women, the themes of which figure into each of these vignettes.?Ginny Ryder, Lee High School, Springfield, VA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Vintage; First Edition edition (April 2, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 067976657X
• ISBN-13: 978-0679766575
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (84 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #180,340 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Edwidge Danticat was born in Haiti in 1969 and came to the United States when she was twelve years old. She graduated from Barnard College and received an M.F.A. from Brown University. She made an auspicious debut with her first novel, Breath, Eyes, Memory, and followed it with the story collection Krik? Krak!, whose National Book Award nomination made Danticat the youngest nominee ever. She lives in New York.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 40 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Stories About Haitian(-Americans) During War-Torn Haiti January 17, 2001

By "neeterskeeter27"

Format:Paperback

The first thing that came to my mind while reading Edwidge Danticat's collection Krik? Krak! is that it is pure poetry. The first lines in "Children of the Sea", the first short story in the collection, are "They say behind the mountains are more mountains. Now I know it's true. I also know there are timeless waters, endless seas, and lots of people in this world whose names don't matter to anyone but themselves." The lyrical poetic style is consistent throughout all of Danticat's prose, which makes Krik? Krak! an easy and beautiful book to read despite the heavy issues addressed in each story within it. In Haiti a story-teller will say "Krik?" and anyone wishing to hear the story answers, "Krak!" and this is the basis for many of the stories Danticat writes.

And many important themes are dealt with in these deceptively simple stories. Most of them encompass three main issues: Poverty and hard times in Haiti, mother and daughter relationships and the self-awareness brought to each because of them, and the transition of immigrants. In Haiti a story-teller will say "Krik?" and anyone wishing to hear the story answers, "Krak!" and this is the basis for many of the stories Danticat writes. Although each story can be easily summarized, the underlying theme and unexpected conclusions reveal much more about life, especially a life of poverty and despair.

In "Children of the Sea", a young man on a ship from Haiti to the US writes letters to his girlfriend and Haiti and she writes letters to him, although they cannot send them to each other. In "Nineteen Thirty-Seven", a girl visits her mother, who is in prison for being accused of witch-craft. "A Wall of Fire Rising" is in interesting perception of poverty, in which a mother and afather trying to raise their young boy in a happy environment face insurmountable pressures. The central character in "Night Women" is a mother who works as a prostitute in order to support her son while in "Between the Pool and the Gardenias" it is a young sterile woman who greatly desires a child even among the poverty and distress so many young children face in Haiti. A young motherless girl befriends an American journalist during the war in Haiti in "The Missing Peacce" and another young girl is painted naked by a French artist in "Seeing Things Simply". A woman randomly sees her mother walking down the street in New York City in "New York Day Women" and realizes that she has a life unto herself, while in "Caroline's Wedding", the longest and last short story in the book, a daugther gets married to a man her mother disapproves of because he is not Haitian.

Perhaps the most poignant part of "Krik? Krak!" is the epilogue which reveals why Edwidge Danticat, the young author of the book, writes these stories. For her and many other women they represent an oral history passed down from mother to daughter, and from that daughter to her daughter and so on. Each short story in this book is an example of such a rich oral tradition and is a very convincing glimpse into the lives of some Haitians and Haitian-Americans. If you read Krik? Krak! and discover that you like it as much as I did, and are interested in more books dealing with a mother/daughter and/or immigration theme, I also recommend "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan, "Two Novellas: First Love and Look for my Obituary" by Elena Garro, "Our House in the Last World" by Oscar Hijuelos, and "White Oleander" by Janet Fitch. ...

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Emotive peek of life in Haiti and Haitians in the US!, February 15, 2006

By Jenny J.J.I. VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Krik! Krak! Edwidge Dandicat's second stroke of genius (the first being Breath, Eyes, Memory), takes readers through the terrors and triumphs of Haitian life with nine short stories. In Haitian folklore, storytellers say Krik! to alert listeners that a story is about to be told. Krak! is the response of listeners alerting the storyteller that they want a good tale told.

Dandicat not only captures the essence of Haiti, but the deeper levels of the human spirit with her trademark lyrical prose. A doomed refugee adrift on a cruel sea, a knowing prostitute and a frustrated father battling with the truth of his own dismal future are among the most memorable characters. Reading Danticat's splendid collection of stories gives you access to a world of people and places that you will grow to love. With tragic characters, subtle images of beauty and hope, and gestures that are never overdone.

Danticat's writing accomplishes the greatest task of any short story writer; she lets you empathize with her characters and walk around in their shoes. These stories are good for the heart. In a time when book stores' shelves groan beneath the weight of "girlfriend fiction," Dandicat's work is a refreshing reminder that good literature is not dead!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars BRILLIANT! May 23, 2000

By Sarah G. Partridge

Format:Paperback

This is the kind of book that is too short and is too hard to find---its precious. The writing combines real-life experience with folklore and spiritual beliefs in a way that is breathtaking and fully believeable.

I read the first book--Breath, Eyes, Memory and was a bit disappointed after it got rave reviews that it wasn't more like this. This book is brilliant and it deserves comparison with Jean Rhys, Toni Morrison, Jamaica Kincaid, Alice Walker and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Probably one of the best books by an American writer in the last 5 years.