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Summary
Summary
Winner of the 2013 Michael L. Printz Award
Bloomsbury is proud to be the global publisher of In Darkness, a stunning tour-de-force set in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake. "Shorty" is a Haitian boy trapped in the ruins of a hospital when the earth explodes around him. Surrounded by lifeless bodies and growing desperately weak from lack of food and water, death seems imminent. Yet as Shorty waits in darkness 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 the presence of slave and revolutionary leader Toussaint L'Ouverture, whose life was marred by violence, and whose own end came in darkness. What unites a child of the slums with the man who would shake a troubled country out of slavery? Is it the darkness they share . . . or is it hope?
Raw, harrowing, and peopled with vibrant characters, In Darkness is an extraordinary book about the cruelties of man and nature, and the valiant, ongoing struggle for a country's very survival.
Author Notes
Nick Lake is the much-acclaimed author of In Darkness , winner of the Michael L. Printz Award, and Hostage Three , which received three starred reviews and was named a Publishers Weekly , School Library Journal , and Boston Globe Best Book of the Year. Nick became fascinated by Haitian culture while pursuing his master's degree in linguistics. He is also the Publishing Director for fiction at HarperCollins Children's Books UK, and lives near Oxford, England. Visit him online at www.in-darkness.org and on Twitter at @nicklakeauthor.
Reviews (7)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Shorty, 15, is trapped in the rubble of a hospital following the 2010 earthquake that left Haiti in ruins. As time wears on without rescue, he relives the journey that brought him to the hospital with a bullet wound, recounting his life running drugs and gunning down enemies for one of Site Soley's most notorious gangs. In a startling but successful feat of literary imagination, Lake (the Blood Ninja series) pairs Shorty's story with that of Toussaint l'Ouverture, the 18th-century slave who led the revolt that forced out the island's French colonizers. The narrative is as disturbing (people are hacked to death, an encephalitic baby is found alive in a trash pile) as it is challenging; the book moves back and forth in time from Shorty's fictional first-person account, shot through with street slang and Creole, to Toussaint's story, told in third-person. But the portrait it reveals of a country relegated throughout history to brutality and neglect is powerful and moving, as readers come to understand that Shorty is held captive by more than just the ceiling that fell on him. Ages 14-up. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
"I am the voice in the dark, calling out for your help." Amid the devastation of the recent Haiti earthquake, in a collapsed hospital, lies a teenage boy, waiting, hoping -- possibly in vain -- to be rescued. As he waits, his mind turns not only to the events in his own life that have led him to this point but also, in alternating sections, to the life of Haiti's great revolutionary, Touissant L'Ouverture -- and the parallels between Haiti in the past and Haiti in the present are not lost on the reader. The boy lives in one of the bleakest slums, and his life has been defined by violence, crime, and corruption: his father murdered, his sister kidnapped, his own innocence compromised by gang activity -- and all of it sanctioned by the corrupt relationship between the government and the gangs. There is a mystical thread that connects this boy not only to Aristide but to L'Ouverture, whose presence seems to visit the boy in his ordeal. The boy draws strength from the inspiring but heartbreaking story of this noble revolutionary leader, providing the impetus to re-evaluate his own life when he is rescued from the rubble. The leisurely pacing allows Lake to develop his unforgettable characters, harrowing settings, and lay the foundation for his timely and relevant themes. jonathan hunt(c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Shorty, 15, is in a Haitian hospital with a bullet in his arm when the walls fall down during an earthquake. As he waits for help, drinking blood to try to quench his thirst, he remembers how he got to the hospital and the haunting gang violence he witnessed in the slums: his beloved twin sister was taken; his father was chopped to pieces. His mother loved freedom-fighter Aristide, but his father did not. Shorty's present-day narrative switches back and forth with an historical plotline set in the eighteenth century, when Touissant l'Ouverture, a former slave, led Haiti in the fight for freedom, calling for justice, not vengeance, in the struggle to emancipate the slaves. The constantly shifting narratives, large cast of characters, and cultural detail may overwhelm some readers, and the unspeakable brutality is not for the fainthearted. But older readers, especially those who have seen the devastating footage of Haiti's recent earthquake, will want to read about the grim, contemporary drama and the inspiring history.--Rochman, Hazel Copyright 2010 Booklist
New York Review of Books Review
NICK LAKE'S novel "In Darkness" spans the traumatic history of Haiti, from its origins as the world's only nation born of a slave revolution to its status today as one of the world's poorest, giving us a glimpse of these tribulations in the form of a child's nightmare. It's a vivid depiction of violence and devastation that plays with alternate (and always depressing) realities, a likely eye-opener for many teenage readers. Set in January 2010 in the days after the earthquake that ravaged Port-au-Prince, the novel begins and ends with Shorty, a 15-year-old gang member entombed in the rubble of a collapsed hospital. Surrounded by bodies, slowly dying of thirst, Shorty passes time by recalling his violent childhood in the slums, and shares a psychic (read: voodoo) connection with Toussaint L'Ouverture, the rebel slave leader and hero of the 18th-century Haitian revolution. Through Shorty's eyes we see the sprawling shantytown of Cité Soleil, a modern-day Gomorrah of drugs, murder and babies abandoned on trash heaps. We watch Shorty's seemingly inevitable descent into criminal activity, following in the footsteps of his role models and father figures, the gang leaders Dread Wilmè and Biggie, as they clash with rival gangs and the opponents of Jean-Bertrand Aristide, then the president, as well as with United Nations peacekeepers (who, in this novel, are also thugs, periodically descending on Cité Soleil with assault weapons and helicopters, killing gangsters and innocents alike). Meanwhile, in his altered state of spiritual possession, Shorty experiences Haiti through the eyes of L'Ouverture, witnessing the violent birth of his nation - under siege then, as now, by forces domestic and foreign. L'Ouverture is aware of Shorty's presence - a blast from the future, so to speak. Among other things, this allows L'Ouverture to suddenly be able to read, and gives him terrible premonitions of his country's future, causing him to doubt his visions of liberty for his people. But L'Ouverture also perhaps inspires Shorty with a better vision of his own future. "In Darkness" works on multiple levels by blurring realities - telescoping across time, between dreams and waking, and (perhaps less intentionally) between the depiction of Haiti by the artist and Haiti itself. This is what makes the novel so gripping, and it is also the source of its main problem. Lake takes creative liberties with history, some of which serve the plot in interesting ways. He combines, for example, two different 18th-century meetings at the onset of the Haitian revolution, allowing Toussaint to attend a legendary voodoo ceremony and interact with another prominent revolutionary figure, the voodoo priest Boukman. Other elements seem careless and are distracting: a reference to Aristide as prime minister, for example, instead of president, or the miscalculation of the duration of his term in office. Contemporary events are blurred and distorted by our own exotic sense of spectacle. Much of the novel is based on real events and people. But the events and characters of "In Darkness" and the motivations ascribed to them feel voyeuristic, based on rumor - like the children's telephone game, what Haitians call "telejol" - some of which is most likely false and has political implications. For example, Lake characterizes Aristide as an arms-dealing gang leader and the United Nations soldiers as bloodthirsty cowboys. Both are fair game. The controversy around Aristide is unproven but well known, and it's true that United Nations raids into Cité Soleil resulted in civilian deaths in the mid-2000s. But the real issue is tone. "In Darkness" paints a portrait of Haiti as a nation of almost nefarious subspecies: it's all about zombies, corruption, murder, violence, infanticide. Not that these things don't exist in this culture, but as in so many Western images of Haiti, they can eclipse all else. Lake is hardly the only writer to explore Haiti's dark side. Graham Greene memorably began his fictional account of Haiti, "The Comedians," with an observation upon entering the evening harbor of Port-au-Prince: "Impossible to deepen that night." And of course, creative works of literature often play with historical events and mix historical characters with invented ones to all kinds of interesting effect. But the trouble here is that most Western readers are not as clear on what is true about Haiti, especially young readers who might get their first and only information on Haiti from this novel. "In Darkness" traffics heavily in Haitian religion and mythology, especially the figure of the zombie (a staple of folklore, religion or to some a real thing), which refers to someone who is buried, exhumed and brought back to life. Shorty, L'Ouverture and Haiti itself are all connected to this metaphor - each lost in darkness, near death; is there a chance for resurrection? It seems Lake intended this metaphor to suggest hope. However, in Haitian culture, this kind of resurrection is anything but. The figure of the zombie may be animated, but it is also enslaved, bereft of consciousness and controlled by malevolent outside forces. It's a beautifully complex metaphor, but a disturbing way to bind a novel - that is, if you want to leave a young reader with hope. Katie Orenstein worked in Haiti in the 1990s as a journalist, folklorist and consultant with the United Nations and the Haitian government She is the author of "Little Red Riding Hood Uncloaked: Sex, Morality, and the Evolution of a Fairy Tale."
School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up-Trapped in the rubble of Haiti's massive 2010 earthquake, teenage Shorty desperately waits for rescue. While in darkness, events of his traumatic, violent life replay in his head. He is haunted by his father's brutal murder, his twin sister's disappearance, and the armed gang activity that has been his means of survival in Site Soley (Cite Soleil), a very real and dangerous slum. As he faces death and struggles to understand the external forces that have shaped him, Shorty gradually feels the uplifting spiritual presence of revered slave liberator Toussaint L'Ouverture and draws strength and hope from the man's extraordinary life, determination, and idealism. The pervasive Haitian voodoo belief in spirit transfer empowers Shorty and connects him with Touissant across time. 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 secondary readers.-Gerry Larson, formerly at Durham School of the Arts, NC (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Guardian Review
There are occasionally voices in the children's book world who argue that the kind of serious children's novels that win prizes and get newspaper reviews are, in fact, books that are only loved by prize judges and middle-aged reviewers, not by kids themselves. But this, I think, works from an incorrect premise: that there is only one sort of child reader. There isn't, of course. Young readers are as varied as adult readers, and as eclectic in their individual tastes. Just because you read the latest Booker winner doesn't mean you don't also read the latest Scandinavian corpse-fiest, and vice versa. It's actually a bit of an insult to young readers to assume that a challenging, literary book must automatically be off-putting, and it's not at all my experience of the young readers I meet. It's certainly not how I read when I was young. I read both bestsellers and more obscure fare - anything that might give the remotest clue to the world outside my suburb. Nick Lake's In Darkness is just the kind of book that might attract this brand of unfair criticism. It has a complex structure, deals with sometimes brutally unsympathetic characters, and tells the story, both modern and historical, of Haiti, a country that doesn't figure high on most school curricula. Will serious teenage readers like it? Why wouldn't they? It's very good. The story opens in the aftermath of Haiti's devastating 2010 earthquake. Fifteen-year-old Shorty is trapped in the pitch-dark rubble of a hospital room, where he was recovering from a bullet wound. As he slowly begins to starve, his thoughts turn to the events that have led him there. He was born into Site Solay, one of the poorest and most dangerous slums in the world. His father is brutally murdered in front of him as part of the turf war between pro and anti-Aristide forces; his twin sister, Marguerite, is kidnapped in that same attack, and Shorty dedicates his life to finding her. To that end, he apprentices himself to a pro-Aristide gang leader and shoots his first man, aged 12. Will he be able to survive long enough to find his sister, even as the Aristide government nears collapse? But as Shorty remains trapped in the hospital, he starts dreaming of another Haitian, 200 years in the past. Toussaint l'Ouverture was a slave turned revolutionary who managed to overthrow French control and live, for a brief, thrilling time, in a free Haiti. Toussaint is a reluctant leader, but his thoughtfulness and his desire for the least bloody solution make him just the kind of man who might succeed. And at night, Toussaint begins to dream of a young man, trapped in the rubble of a future Haiti . . . In Darkness is both violent and subtle, unexpectedly reminding me of The Wire. Characters, settings, and the half-believed Haitian vodou religion are handled with patience and complexity, even in a terrifying, poverty-stricken setting. Also, as in The Wire, Lake doesn't shy away from Shorty's immersion in gang culture, nor the profanity that permeates it and Shorty's own participation in its brutality and murder. Sometimes Lake might go a bit too far with the roughness, but I don't doubt his seriousness. Nor, I think, will the kind of young reader who'll embrace this book. In Darkness is a serious, nuanced, challenging novel. Trust me, there are plenty of young readers who hunger for exactly that. Patrick Ness's A Monster Calls is published by Walker. To order In Darkness for pounds 10.39 with free UK p&p call Guardian book service on 0330 333 6846 or go to guardian.co.uk/bookshop - Patrick Ness There are occasionally voices in the children's book world who argue that the kind of serious children's novels that win prizes and get newspaper reviews are, in fact, books that are only loved by prize judges and middle-aged reviewers, not by kids themselves. But this, I think, works from an incorrect premise: that there is only one sort of child reader. There isn't, of course. Young readers are as varied as adult readers, and as eclectic in their individual tastes. Just because you read the latest Booker winner doesn't mean you don't also read the latest Scandinavian corpse-fiest, and vice versa. It's actually a bit of an insult to young readers to assume that a challenging, literary book must automatically be off-putting, and it's not at all my experience of the young readers I meet. It's certainly not how I read when I was young. I read both bestsellers and more obscure fare - anything that might give the remotest clue to the world outside my suburb. - Patrick Ness.
Kirkus Review
Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.