In Darkness - Nick Lake

Written by Nick Lake
Read by Benjamin L. Darcie
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins
Release Date:01-17-12
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Winner of the 2013 Michael L. Printz Award

On the Other Side of Darkness is Light

A tale of two Haitis—one modern, one historic—deftly intertwine in a novel for teens and adults.

Shorty is a Haitian boy trapped in the rubble of a hospital when an earthquake shatters the world around him. Surrounded by lifeless bodies and growing desperately weak from lack of food and water, death seems imminent. Yet as Shorty waits for a rescue that may never come, he becomes aware of another presence, one reaching out to him across two hundred years of history. It is a man named Toussaint l’Ouverture – the Haitian slave turned revolutionary leader whose life was marred by violence and whose own end came in darkness. As Shorty slips in and out of consciousness, scenes from his life and Toussaint’s play back and entwine. And though separated by centuries, what this modern boy from the slums and the visionary black leader have in common will leave listeners shivering.

Raw, harrowing, and peopled with vibrant characters, In Darkness is an extraordinary audiobook about the cruelties of man and nature, and the valiant, ongoing struggle for a country’s very survival.

In alternating chapters of “Now” and “Then,” Shorty’s and Toussaint’s stories unfold. The relentless oppression, poverty, violence, and instability of the country is vividly conveyed through Shorty’s stark, graphic narrative.

Toussaint’s story provides historical background for the socioeconomic and political conflicts that continue today. As the author notes, he portrays the essential spirit and history of Touissant with some omissions and simplifications. For example, Touissant learned to read as a boy, and not late in life, but this factual inaccuracy does not diminish the account of his charisma and significance. The entangled actions of gangs and government, the complicated relationship between Haitians and foreign-aid organizations, and the rich mix of Creole and French patois provide insight and authenticity. A striking cast of characters, compelling tension as Shorty confronts his own death, and the reality and immediacy of Haiti’s precarious existence will captivate Recommended for secondary readers.-