Bold and Sassy: Dear Haiti, Love Alaine

"Beautiful cover" is what I thought when I first saw Maika and Maritza Moulite's Dear Haiti, Love Alaine (2019) on the new books display at BN a few months ago. It certainly achieved its purpose: grabbed my attention, particularly because the particular red used reminded me of the hibiscus flowers I associate with Haiti. Having now read the book, the cover also does effectively capture the attitude of the 17-year old protagonist, Alaine Beauparlant: bold, sassy, and quick-witted.

I generally like sassy and admire quick-wittedness, but something about Alaine just didn't work for me; I couldn't get lost in her characterization. Maybe it has to do with her voice: it just didn't ring true as a teenager's, even a well-educated middle-class one. In fact, the indistinguishable nature of all the characters' voices is this book's biggest flaw.

The story is that of Alaine who, after a prank gone wrong during the presentation of her senior project, is "banished" to Haiti to finish out her senior year and redo her project in exchange for not getting expelled. In addition to taking her school project more seriously, Alaine aims to accomplish two things during her time in her "homeland": (1) confront the family curse and (2) reconnect with her mother, a world-renowned and respected journalist who recently sought refuge in Haiti after an on-screen confrontation on her national broadcast Sunday morning political show and whose relationship with her daughter she compromised in pursuing her career.

Intended to be a bit of a hero's journey, Dear Haiti, Love Alaine has some good things going for it, the most successful of which is the authors' blending of lore pertaining to Haiti's history and culture while also challenging stereotypes. Overall, the story moves along, the epistolary format being appropriate for the creative and imaginative elements of the story.

Dear Haiti, Love Alaine is a quick read and overall fine book for those wishing to expand their understanding of Haiti beyond its "single story" and from a creative perspective different from Edwidge Danticat's.