In the summer of 1996, I took a course through the Zelda Glazer Writing Institute at the University of Miami. I took away two powerful experiences that inform my writing and teaching to this day.
First, I experienced the powerful truth that we all have a unique story to tell. My writing, whether here on my blog or in my books, is mostly memoir-driven. I write as a way to make sense of my world.
Next, I learned that responding to others’ stories creates a powerful connection. We shared our writing with each other in this institute. One of those pieces remained in my heart. A young woman, younger than my mid-30s at the time, recounted the day she and other Haitian refugees who had paid thousands of dollars for passage to the Bahamas were thrown overboard into the shark-infested waters between Haiti and the Bahamas. She described the ordeal in few words — an effect that left us gasping as our imaginations filled-in the silence that followed.
Reading Edwidge Danticat’s The Dew Breaker brought back that memory. This collection of short stories is woven together with a common thread that runs through the characters whose lives have been touched by a dew breaker , a man responsible for heinous acts performed during Jean-Claude Duvalier’s (Baby Doc) rule of Haiti in the 70s and early 80s.
While each story can stand alone, the reader discovers the connections as the drama unfolds. The book explores the human capacity for cruelty, and how grace can change lives. Danticat creates snapshots of the horrors of the regime, and a glimpse into the heart of a man capable of carrying out these acts against humanity.
In the end I’m left wondering if redemption is possible for such a hardened heart. Yet, looking at him through the lens of faith, I see that everyone has the opportunity for salvation. I grieve, however, for those who suffered at his hands. Surprisingly, I am most sorry for the Dew Breaker who nevers finds peace.