American Street

Verdict

American Street is a book I may read again.  I actually liked reading this book.  It is a well-written coming-of-age story with tidbits about Haitian culture, romance, family and magical realism.  I would consider this a page-turner as I ended up breezing through the book as I was curious how things will conclude and be wrapped up.  However, what held me up from tagging it as a definite “will read again” was the weight of the topics involved.

Nevertheless, this is definitely a recommended read and a great debut novel for the author.

Summary

From Amazon webpage –

On the corner of American Street and Joy Road, Fabiola Toussaint thought she would finally find une belle vie—a good life.

But after they leave Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Fabiola’s mother is detained by U.S. immigration, leaving Fabiola to navigate her loud American cousins, Chantal, Donna, and Princess; the grittiness of Detroit’s west side; a new school; and a surprising romance, all on her own.

Just as she finds her footing in this strange new world, a dangerous proposition presents itself, and Fabiola soon realizes that freedom comes at a cost. Trapped at the crossroads of an impossible choice, will she pay the price for the American dream?

Write-up

American Street starts with Fabiola’s arrival in Detroit from Haiti.  It was the supposed start of her new life with her mother, aunt and cousins.  Unfortunately, her mother gets detained in New York and later transferred to New Jersey.  No time to fully process the situation, she immediately starts school the next day.  New home and new school then made more complex given the dynamics with her cousins and her developing feelings for Kasim.  So, I guess it will not be a surprise if I describe Fabiola as a resilient individual.  She is an independent teenager able to hold herself together under difficult circumstances and able to think for herself.  She drew strength from her mother and her culture, particularly from the altar she prepared aligned with the vodou culture they practiced in Haiti.  What I liked most about her character was the constant conflict she faced and how she was able to muster courage to face them.  On hindsight though, her ignorance of the overall dynamics of their neighborhood generally influenced her choices throughout the narrative.

Going through the book, I appreciated the inclusion of some of the other characters’ story in between the chapters.  We get to know more about her Aunt and Mom, cousins and the key guys in the story – Kasim and Dray.  It provided me with enough background to better understand the behavior and choices exhibited by these characters throughout the narrative without interrupting the reading experience.  Her cousins were each given a distinct personality.  As a reader, I also found it hard not to cheer for Kasim.

Vodou culture was also integrated within the narrative as Fabiola was exposed in this culture prior to her return to the US.  Most of it was quite new to me and quite an interesting addition.  Though, I probably will not remember the terms used.  Haitian cuisines were also described in the text with Fabiola’s approach in cooking the turkey for Thanksgiving being the highlight (or what I remember the most).  She chopped (sliced in small pieces), seasoned and fried the Turkey then placed it on top of the sauce.  It was quite a surprise for the whole family – different from their usual roasted turkey with gravy.  It was a good laugh and a light moment for the family and the book.