the dew breaker
i got my mitts on this one from my friend natosha. and just like dean koontz’s “the face” i kept putting it off and making moon eyes at percy jackson. but i got it together and started reading it–it’s really short so it won’t waste too much time. apparently i will never learn that i might actually like a book i know nothing about. it’s been the case many times but bad habits die hard.
this novel is essentially about a man and most everyone connected to him in some way. i don’t think i’ve read anything like this before. each chapter is about a different person and narrated by each one. only through the telling of each person’s story do you figure out who they are in relation to the man and at what time in their lives they were affected by him. we learn that a dew breaker is what torturers are called in haiti back in the day. the man was a dew breaker before he escaped to new york and the story begins with him trying to explain his past life to his daughter.
the story caught me off guard because most novels are written about a central character and their story, with minor or lesser attention to other characters and side stories. “the dew breaker” is written so that each character garners as much devotion from the reader as the man. from the man’s point of view we see that he is just trying to live his life with his past behind him. he has changed his name and appearance and talks little to the people around him. he tries to move on from his past, but in his wake are the stories of those who would never forget what he did. it’s very touching and left me feeling heavy and sad at the end. go read it.
the bookend. 