So powerful as to be mesmerizing. I don’t think I’ve seen the Haitian earthquake of 2010 represented with such compassion and insight. One of those books that leave you wishing the author could produce a tome every month.” — Gary Shteyngart
“A fully mature novel in scope and perspective, as rich in ideas as in humanity. Funny, street-smart, and keenly observed, God Loves Haiti establishes Léger as one of contemporary fiction’s most distinctive and irresistible new voices.” — Edwidge Danticat
“The Port-au-Prince earthquake of 2010 may seem like an odd setting for a romantic comedy, but then Haiti really is an amazing place! Dimitry Elias Léger has brought it off, with a smile, a tear, and a peppery dash of satire as a lagniappe.” — Madison Smartt Bell
“A luminous debut . . . Léger writes beautifully and with an immense humanity. . . . He renders [Haiti] in all of its stupendous beautiful tortured complexity. A stand-out novel.” — Junot Diaz
“A work of fiction that combines breathless narrative movement with memorable writing and unabashed Big Ideas. [An] impressive debut novel.” — Andrea Lee
“The heat, the horror, the taste of ashes: Reading this vivid debut novel about the Port-au-Prince earthquake of 2010-and the risky love triangle that survives it-is jolting and exhilarating.” — More magazine
“With empathy and wit, Léger captures the intricacies of a country that is at once beautiful and tortured….There is no doubt that God Loves Haiti will leave readers wanting more from this talented author.” — M&V Magazine
[God Loves Haiti ] shows undeniable strength and a powerful message about creating something new out of such devastation. — Publishers Weekly
“[Léger ]deftly sketches his country’s postcolonial struggles as well as its faith, resilience and promise….his Haiti-in-crisis, richly seen and unforgettable, is all too real.” — New York Times Book Review
“Léger’s use of imagery when describing the aftermath of the earthquake is remarkable and unparalleled; it offers a refreshing perspective. God Loves Haiti is a detailed and gripping account of the tragic events that occurred, infused with a story of romance, courage and change.” — AfroPunk
With empathy and wit, Léger captures the intricacies of a country that is at once beautiful and tortured….There is no doubt that God Loves Haiti will leave readers wanting more from this talented author.
The heat, the horror, the taste of ashes: Reading this vivid debut novel about the Port-au-Prince earthquake of 2010-and the risky love triangle that survives it-is jolting and exhilarating.
Léger’s use of imagery when describing the aftermath of the earthquake is remarkable and unparalleled; it offers a refreshing perspective. God Loves Haiti is a detailed and gripping account of the tragic events that occurred, infused with a story of romance, courage and change.
A luminous debut . . . Léger writes beautifully and with an immense humanity. . . . He renders [Haiti] in all of its stupendous beautiful tortured complexity. A stand-out novel.
The Port-au-Prince earthquake of 2010 may seem like an odd setting for a romantic comedy, but then Haiti really is an amazing place! Dimitry Elias Léger has brought it off, with a smile, a tear, and a peppery dash of satire as a lagniappe.
A work of fiction that combines breathless narrative movement with memorable writing and unabashed Big Ideas. [An] impressive debut novel.
So powerful as to be mesmerizing. I don’t think I’ve seen the Haitian earthquake of 2010 represented with such compassion and insight. One of those books that leave you wishing the author could produce a tome every month.
A fully mature novel in scope and perspective, as rich in ideas as in humanity. Funny, street-smart, and keenly observed, God Loves Haiti establishes Léger as one of contemporary fiction’s most distinctive and irresistible new voices.
[Léger ]deftly sketches his country’s postcolonial struggles as well as its faith, resilience and promise….his Haiti-in-crisis, richly seen and unforgettable, is all too real.
New York Times Book Review
11/17/2014 In the moments just before the biblically awful Haitian earthquake of 2010 hits Port-au-Prince, the beautiful Natasha Robert is walking across the tarmac, pulled by her new husband, who happens to also be the Haitian president , toward a waiting plane. Though she has been anticipating escape her whole life and is indeed about to be ferried off to a luxurious life in Italy, Natasha is suddenly hesitant, apprehensive about leaving behind her true love, Alain, whom she’s left locked in her closet at the National Palace. For all the destruction the imminent earthquake will cause, it will also save Natasha, though in unexpected and mysterious ways. This debut novel explores how Natasha comes to grips with what has unfolded both in her country and in her heart. While the setup is promising and the context rich for emotional mining, the novel often feels slow and even repetitive, not for the mourning and reflection such horror would seem to force, but for the cyclical tendencies of the narrative. Although Alain, the president , and Natasha wander in the aftermath of the quake, their separate emotions seem restated rather than deepened, but the book still shows undeniable strength and a powerful message about creating something new out of such devastation. (Jan.)
11/01/2014 This debut novel (think Love in the Time of Cholera) follows three loves across Port-au-Prince.