“Everything Inside” by Edwidge Danticat

Read via Paperback

Everything Inside is a collection of short stories that explore Haitian culture with love, loss, and tragedy at the center of each. Below you’ll find brief synopses of each story!

Synopsis:

Story 1: Dosas

Elsie is a live-in nurse, caring for a man in his mid-sixties who is in a struggle with renal-failure. While caring for him one morning, she receives a phone call from her ex-husband, Blaise, informing her that his new girlfriend, Oliva (who also happens to be Elsie’s ex-best friend,) has been kidnapped while visiting their home country of Haiti. The kidnappers want a ten thousand dollar ransom, of which Blaise can only produce half. Follow along as Elsie tries to find the strength to help two people who have betrayed her heart.

Story 2: In the Old Days

ESL teacher, Nadia, grew up in Brooklyn with her single mother and spent her childhood not knowing who her father is. When she was a teenager, her mother finally explained that he left them to return to Haiti- along with many others- when the dictatorship had ended. Many years later after receiving a call from the wife of her unknown father, Nadia faces a tough decision. Will she go meet her father for the first time even if it’s on his death bed?

Story 3: The Port-Au-Prince Marriage Special

Mélisande is a young woman, barely into her early twenties. She works at the same hotel as her mother, Babette, in Haiti, nannying for the owners’ son. Mélisande has been known to go beyond her nannying duties to help the maids clean and even provide company to the hotel guests. Her mother believes she’s been giving them a little too much company! We journey through the story as Mélisande, Babette, and the hotel owners struggle to come to terms with Mélisande’s SIDA (AIDS) diagnosis.

Story 4: The Gift

Seven months after the earthquake in Haiti, two ex-lovers meet for dinner at their “usual restaurant” in Miami. Anita and Thomas had been having an affair just before Thomas left for Haiti, and Anita hadn’t heard from him since. Thomas had lost both his wife and baby in the earthquake and was dealing with psychiatric issues ever since. This heartbreaking story captures your attention as both Anita and Thomas struggle through their feelings of love, loss, and regret.

Story 5- Hot-Air Balloons

Lucy and Neah, roommates, and friends, attend college in Miami. They come from vastly different upbringings but share their Haitian heritage. After Neah returns from an eye-opening trip with the college to Haiti, she’s convinced she wants to drop out and work for Leve, a woman’s organization that runs a rape recovery center in Port-Au-Prince. This may not be the path, however, that Lucy and Neah’s father want her to take.

Story 6- Sunrise, Sunset

This story honestly brought me to tears. Jeanne recently had a baby boy, Jude, and is now almost debilitated by postpartum depression. This is something her mother, Carole, can’t seem to understand- as she struggles through her own battle with dementia. On the day of Jude’s christening, we weave our way through understanding this heartbreaking family dynamic of three generations.

Story 7- Seven Stories

When Kim was seven years old, she became friends with a new neighbor. Callie is a girl her age who has fled her home country with her mother after the assassination of her father, the Prime Minister. Kim’s new friend is only in Brooklyn for a month before returning to her country, but the bond they create in that short time would never be forgotten. Years later, Kim writes an essay for an online magazine depicting the friendship she formed with the emotional girl who had just lost her father. Callie finds the essay online and asks Kim if she will come visit the island and meet her husband- the Prime Minister. As we are led through the rekindling of their friendship, we catch a glimpse of the lasting heartbreak her father’s tragic death has caused Callie.

Story 8- Without Inspection

As Arnold plummets to his death in slow motion, he recounts the defining moments of his life. We get to envision these pieces of his life, from his orphaned hardship in Port-de-Paix to a fearful crossing into Miami. We see the precious meeting between Arnold and Darlene, his rescuer, and his future wife. What gripped my heart the most in this story was how graciously he fathered Paris, Darline’s son, as if he were is own. These heartbreaking six seconds make you realize what is most important in life.

Rating: 4/5

Review:

“Everything Inside” is a collection of truly beautiful stories. It’s so impressive how much content is packed into just a few pages and how wonderfully each and every character comes to life.
I’m so glad I branched out from what I would typically choose to read, and instead grabbed this. Danticat did a spectacular job portraying these emotional stories in an inspiring light.
The heartache that is packed into the center of each jumps out at you through the pages and will tug on your heartstrings. I’ll admit that most of these stories ended up bringing me to tears!

Bonus– Each story is easily read in one sitting! I recommend taking a break between each to really digest the story.

Conclusion:

If you’re anything like me, short stories aren’t necessarily your go-to, however, I highly recommend this collection. I branched out from my usual choice and I couldn’t be happier in that decision. I truly feel moved by this book!

Amazon: Everything Inside: Stories

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