Nick Lake has written a shockingly dark novel about Haiti, sharing two perspectives on the country's troubled history. Our first narrator is "Shorty," a fourteen-year-old gang member who is caught in the rubble of the Haiti earthquake. The hospital collapses on him while he is being treated for a gunshot wound. The next narrator is Toussiant l'Overture, the historical figure who led the Haitian Revolution against French colonization in the 18th century. Through some mystical voodoo vortex, the two men are able to channel each other in times of crisis, each catching a glimpse of a Haiti they do not know. Shorty has spent his life in the slums. He watched his father get murdered, his sister vanished without a trace, and his mother consistently struggles to survive. Toussaint was a slave in Haiti, yet rebelled against the institution, and his success in Haiti was instrumental in expanding anti-slavery movements throughout the free world.Be aware that the graphic nature of the conflicts and the high use of profanity may make it more suitable for older teens.
