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No Coração Da Tempestade (2014)

by Jesmyn Ward(Favorite Author)

3.78 of 5 Votes: 4

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Porto Editora

review 1: This is a beautiful novel. It reminded me again and again of Faulkner, not just because Mississippi is the setting but because of the mix of brutality and tenderness, always surprising me. The book follows the fictional Batiste family of Bois Sauvage through the days before, during, and just after Hurricane Katrina. The main character, who tells the story, is 15-year-old (or thereabouts) Esch Batiste, an only daughter, who relates events in a poetic voice, telling what happened from the inside-out rather than the usual outside-in. The descriptions have a lyricism and a depth that most novels lack (or have in short supply). An example: "Fleas are everywhere. Walking toward Mother Lizbeth and Papa Joseph's house, I wade through scummy puddles of them. They jump and stick... more to my legs like burrs, biting, until I stand on what's left of the porch: a couple of two-by-fours leaning at a slanted angle against the house like an abandoned pier sinking below storm-rising water, the tide of the earth rolling in to cover them. The screen door has long disappeared, and the front door hangs by one hinge. I have to push the wood, which flakes away to dust in my hands, and squeeze sideways through cobwebs tangled with leaves to get into the house."It's refreshing to read a novel where all the characters are black--though the absence of whites isn't really even evident, so fully are the characters rendered.
review 2: I promise, no spoilers.I read this book for my school's book club. There were three books we could choose from and I chose this one because in the aftermath of the Ferguson decision, I wanted to find some way to educate myself on issues of race in America and become more acquainted with contemporary African-American writers. I have to say that Ward is a phenomenal writer, with some really powerful descriptions and poetic language. This book is rich with opportunities for interpretation and is a perfect group read because there is so much to discuss. It overlapped with Faulker a lot (the character Junior reminded me a lot of Vardaman in "As I Lay Dying"), and really captured the spirit of the South. The end really gets gripping and is a total page-turner. I tried to pace myself but ended up reading the last 60 pages in one day.I guess my criticism of the novel is that the story takes a very long time to really move along. Katrina really only happens in the last two chapters, and I got so much of a setup of the story that I was disappointed to feel cut off so soon. One chapter (the dog fight one) is so boring I had to force myself through it. I got what she was trying to do, by making parallels between characters and detailing Esch's world, but I found myself wondering when something was actually going to happen. I don't think dog fights really need to be explained in that much detail...So, I wavered between 3 and 4 stars. I chose 3 because I could imagine myself recommending it, but it is not a book I would unwaveringly recommend. I'm glad I read it and it was a unique story with beautifully crafted prose. I think it's an important read for people who want to know what literature is coming out after Katrina, or maybe for people who really are fascinated by the South. less

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