#FridayReads: God Loves Haiti by Dimitry Elias Léger

A luminous debut . . . Léger writes beautifully and with an immense humanity. Perhaps one of the finest Caribbean novels I’ve read in years and it is a testament to Léger’s extraordinary talents that in this incisive chronicle of failing lovers he never loses sight of his true subject—Haiti—which he renders in all of its stupendous beautiful tortured complexity. A stand-out novel.”—Junot Diaz


A native of Haiti, Dimitry Elias Léger makes his remarkable debut with this story of romance, politics, and religion that traces the fates of three lovers in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and the challenges they face readjusting to life after an earthquake devastates their city. 


Reflecting the chaos of disaster and its aftermath, God Loves Haiti switches between time periods and locations, yet always moves closer to solving the driving mystery at its center: Will the artist Natasha Robert reunite with her one true love, the injured Alain Destiné, and live happily ever after? Warm and constantly surprising, told in the incandescent style of José Saramago and Roberto Bolaño, and reminiscent of Gabriel García Márquez’s hauntingly beautiful Love In The Time of Cholera, God Loves Haiti is an homage to a lost time and city, and the people who embody it.


Dimitry Elias Léger was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and raised there and in Brooklyn. Educated at St. John’s University and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, he has worked as an advisor to United Nations agencies. He has also been a staff writer at Fortune, the Miami Herald, and The Source Magazine, and his work has appeared in the New York Times, Rolling Stone, and Newsweek, and other publications. He lives in Brooklyn and near Evian, France.

Spread the love

More Articles for You

16 Essential Books on Witches, Witchcraft, Feminist History

These curated books trace the witch from early-modern trials and accusations to feminist history, reproductive politics, aging, sexuality, power, and Gothic fiction.

Spread the love

Raising Boys Today: 18 Books Every Mother of Sons Should Read

Explore the inner lives of boys through psychology, reporting, memoir, cultural criticism, and fiction, from friendship and masculinity to pornography, consent, trauma, race, social media, feminism, and the complicated work of loving sons without possessing them.

Spread the love

10 Essential Books About Taíno History Before 1492: An Indigenous Peoples’ Day Reading List

Explore 10 essential books about Taíno history, archaeology, culture and Indigenous Caribbean life before 1492, curated for Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

Spread the love

Puerto Rican Porridges: Maizena, Harina de Maíz, and the Comfort of the Boricua Breakfast

A personal and cultural essay on Puerto Rican porridges, including silky maizena, avena and harina de maíz recipes with cinnamon, fresh ginger, and dried orange rind, plus lactose-free options.

Spread the love

Yesteryear and the Problem of “This Moment” Fiction

Disclosure: I received a complimentary advance review copy of Yesteryear. As always, receiving a galley does not influence my opinions. …

Spread the love

42 of the Best Feminist Rage Books and Feminist Theory Books to Read Right Now

I have been seeing a lot of requests for feminist rage books lately, and I understand why. We are living …

Spread the love