Ayiti

By: Roxane Gay

Narrated by: Roxane Gay

Length: 2 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

From New York Times best-selling powerhouse Roxane Gay, Ayiti is a powerful collection exploring the Haitian diaspora experience. Originally published by a small press, this edition will make Gay’s debut widely available for the first time, including several new stories.

In Ayiti, a married couple seeking boat passage to America prepares to leave their homeland. A young woman procures a voodoo love potion to ensnare a childhood classmate. A mother takes a foreign soldier into her home as a boarder, and into her bed. And a woman conceives a daughter on the bank of a river while fleeing a horrific massacre, a daughter who later moves to America for a new life but is perpetually haunted by the mysterious scent of blood.

These early stories showcase Gay’s prowess as "one of the voices of our age” (National Post, Canada).

©2011, 2018 Roxane Gay. Recorded by arrangement with Grove Atlantic, Inc. (P)2018 Audible, Inc.

As you would expect

Roxanne Gay is incredible as always. Got me crying in the car on my way to work with that queer love.

Stories I never knew I wanted to learn

I loved everything about this audio book. The performance kept me in the experience every minute of every story.
Each story, showed me a different world that other people call their only world. Some stories are heartbreaking other are inspiring.
Thank you for an amazing experience.

It's ok...

First thing I must note, every story entails, at least one scene of sex. It is tastefully done but, some people may not be okay with it. Many of the stories were good; some stories I wanted to hear more, others, I could care less.

I wasn't happy with the narration. I would have liked a better transition between stories, especially since the author/narrorator didn't change voices and the stories were written in first person, welll...mostly.

Not sure if I'd recommend this one. I don't regret listening but there was nothing I wanted to even share with anyone else. If the massacre/scent of blood story or the couple heading to Miami were more in depth, I may...there was something there. This is the reason for the score.

Poetic Journal Entries

The writing style is personal, poetic, and emotional. Nearly all first person 'slice of life' stories about a girl in Haiti. A few longer stories have some depth and emotion. Many of the shorter works read like journal entries, jotting down thoughts and observing life. The narrator has a slight lisp.

Brought back memories

Really liked it. Some of the stories really brought back fun memories of my homeland. I loved how descriptive the author about her sensory experiences. I didn't like the way most of the stories left you wondering. Overall good stories and very well read.

Meh

Just okay, nothing special or riveting here. I really had a tough time following this one.

Not great

I was hoping to learn a bit more of Haiti,but book only stressed that Haitians have full active and varied sex lives

Raw Yet Gentle

Love, truth and jagged edges intertwine in rich full bloom. Excellent! Author’s narration exquisitely positions the reader at the heart of the matter.

Good short listen

I like this audiobook but the stories were a little confusing at times. The sex scenes are pretty steamy!

Many stories, one place

Roxane Gay gives only excellence. This collection of stories give rationale for and raises questions about the decision to leave home, and build another somewhere else. The glimpses into the characters' lives are somehow complete, but leave us wanting to know more about them, to spend a little longer in their company. It was a grrat choice for Gay to narrate herself, because no one else would have the same command of language or understanding of voice.