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The Dew Breaker (Vintage Contemporaries) Reprint Edition, Kindle Edition

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 523 ratings

We meet him late in life: a quiet man, a good father and husband, a fixture in his Brooklyn neighborhood, a landlord and barber with a terrifying scar across his face. As the book unfolds, moving seamlessly between Haiti in the 1960s and New York City today, we enter the lives of those around him, and learn that he has also kept a vital, dangerous secret. Edwidge Danticat’s brilliant exploration of the “dew breaker”--or torturer--s an unforgettable story of love, remorse, and hope; of personal and political rebellions; and of the compromises we make to move beyond the most intimate brushes with history. It firmly establishes her as one of America’s most essential writers.

BONUS: This edition includes an excerpt from Edwidge Danticat's Claire of the Sea Light.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In her third novel, The Dew Breaker, the prolific Edwidge Danticat spins a series of related stories around a shadowy central figure, a Haitian immigrant to the U.S. who reveals to his artist daughter that he is not, as she believes, a prison escapee, but a former prison guard, skilled in torture and the other violent control methods of a brutal regime. "Your father was the hunter," he confesses, "he was not the prey." Into this brilliant opening, Danticat tucks the seeds of all that follows: the tales of the prison guard's victims, of their families, of those who recognize him decades later on the streets of New York, of those who never see him again, but are so haunted that they believe he's still pursuing them. (A dew breaker, we learn, is a government functionary who comes in the early morning to arrest someone or to burn a house down, breaking the dew on the grass that he crosses.) Although it is frustrating, sometimes, to let go of one narrative thread to follow another, The Dew Breaker is a beautifully constructed novel that spirals back to the reformed prison guard at the end, while holding unanswered the question of redemption. --Regina Marler

From Publishers Weekly

Haitian-born Danticat's third novel (after The Farming of Bones and Breath, Eyes, Memory) focuses on the lives affected by a "dew breaker," or torturer of Haitian dissidents under Duvalier's regime. Each chapter reveals the titular man from another viewpoint, including that of his grown daughter, who, on a trip she takes with him to Florida, learns the secret of his violent past and those of the Haitian boarders renting basement rooms in his Brooklyn home. This structure allows Danticat to move easily back and forth in time and place, from 1967 Haiti to present-day Florida, tracking diverse threads within the larger narrative. Some readers may think that what she gains in breadth she loses in depth; this is a slim book, and Danticat does not always stay in one character's mind long enough to fully convey the complexities she seeks. The chapters—most of which were published previously as stories, with the first three appearing in the New Yorker—can feel more like evocative snapshots than richly textured portraits. The slow accumulation of details pinpointing the past's effects on the present makes for powerful reading, however, and Danticat is a crafter of subtle, gorgeous sentences and scenes. As the novel circles around the dew breaker, moving toward final episodes in which, as a young man and already dreaming of escape to the U.S., he performs his terrible work, the impact on the reader hauntingly, ineluctably grows.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B000XUDFUO
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage; Reprint edition (December 18, 2007)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 18, 2007
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3159 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 258 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 523 ratings

About the author

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Edwidge Danticat
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Edwidge Danticat was born in Haiti in 1969 and came to the United States when she was twelve years old. She graduated from Barnard College and received an M.F.A. from Brown University. She made an auspicious debut with her first novel, Breath, Eyes, Memory, and followed it with the story collection Krik? Krak!, whose National Book Award nomination made Danticat the youngest nominee ever. She lives in New York.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
523 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book engaging and well-crafted. They appreciate the depth of the characters and their believable portrayal. The story offers an interesting perspective on an issue that the media doesn't seem to focus on. However, opinions differ on the writing style and pacing, with some finding it wonderful and captivating, while others find it confusing or difficult to read at first.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

27 customers mention "Readability"24 positive3 negative

Customers enjoy the book's readability. They find it a great read with poetic brilliance and colorful storytelling.

"...It is so good and each chapter is amazing!!! Great read!" Read more

"This was a great read and very interesting. I didn’t know much about Haiti and I appreciate this author’s ability to take me there...." Read more

"...Starts off quite confusing but is very colorful and does a great job of incorporating characters despite chapters not being in chronological order...." Read more

"...shocking secrets of the past, it's clear that the reader will not be disappointed...." Read more

19 customers mention "Storytelling"19 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the engaging storytelling. They find the stories intertwined and the writing vivid. The structure is well-handled, with believable characters and realistic details.

"...All nine stories are superb, but even so there are four the truly stand out...." Read more

"The story is very interesting and so gripping that I could put it down!!!..." Read more

"...The structure of the novel is superbly handled, the story is well imagined, and the writing is tight and confident...." Read more

"...The storyline was powerful and kept me engaged." Read more

5 customers mention "Character development"5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the author's character development. They find the characters believable, even the most evil ones. The portrayal is sensitive and honest, even for the darkest characters.

"...off quite confusing but is very colorful and does a great job of incorporating characters despite chapters not being in chronological order...." Read more

"...She weaves this story with twists and turns and has a special way of drawing her characters...." Read more

"Incredibly sensitive and honest portrayal of one of the darkest times in Haitian history...." Read more

"...draws the reader in and amazes while making even the most evil of characters become human and believable...." Read more

4 customers mention "Interest"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book interesting. They say it's an interesting take on an issue that the media doesn't seem to want to focus on. The author gives many hints that the reader should research.

"This was a great read and very interesting. I didn’t know much about Haiti and I appreciate this author’s ability to take me there...." Read more

"...It's a very interesting take on an issue the media doesn't seem to want to focus on. It's a good...." Read more

"...The author gives so many tiny hints to the reader and if time is taken to research those hints, the pay off is much more enjoyable." Read more

"Very interesting!" Read more

12 customers mention "Writing style"8 positive4 negative

Customers have different views on the writing style. Some find it wonderful and engaging, with vivid language. Others find it confusing at first and difficult to read.

"...novel is superbly handled, the story is well imagined, and the writing is tight and confident...." Read more

"...I passed my copy on to a friend after finishing it. The author has a good writing style, no complaints about the pacing of the book, just felt the..." Read more

"Had to buy the book for an English class. Starts off quite confusing but is very colorful and does a great job of incorporating characters despite..." Read more

"...Beautifully written, the chapters overlap and wind back around each other as the novel slowly reveals the ghosts of the past within the culture's..." Read more

8 customers mention "Pacing"3 positive5 negative

Customers have different views on the pacing. Some find the storyline engaging and riveting, while others find it disturbing, with feelings of dread and melancholy lingering after reading.

"...It's a heavy topic, and much of the book is melancholy and even gloomy--but Danticat is expert at throwing in both comic relief and the perfectly..." Read more

"...The storyline was powerful and kept me engaged." Read more

"...Feelings of dread lingers after reading." Read more

"...Although this is a dark story, there is redemption of a sort. A book that makes you think." Read more

Used Book
2 out of 5 stars
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2011
    The cycle of nine stories that make up "The Dew Breaker" revolves around the central character that haunts all of them: a loving father and husband living in New York who was once a member of the Tontons Macoute, paramilitary torturers during Francois Duvalier's despotic regime in Haiti. Only three of the stories deal directly with this man and his family, but the other six deal with his victims, their families, or their friends. Although I often feel that stories-as-a-novel (or fix-ups) are not convincing--the distraction of the seams can sometimes overpower the whole--this is an exception: if anything, the jigsaw-puzzle approach more powerfully shows how disparate lives have been shattered by one "evil" man.

    It's a heavy topic, and much of the book is melancholy and even gloomy--but Danticat is expert at throwing in both comic relief and the perfectly placed awkward moment. All nine stories are superb, but even so there are four the truly stand out. The opening story, "The Book of the Dead," describes a semi-vacation trip to Florida taken by the now-elderly man and his daughter, Ka, who has sold a sculpture based her father's image to a famous Haitian American actress. When the father (with the artwork) disappears, secrets are revealed, Ka's adoration of her father is tested, and the obligatory meeting with the actress is both uncomfortable and unforgettable. In "Seven," an immigrant living with two bachelors in a basement apartment gets ready to receive the wife he hasn't seen in seven years. (One of his initial concerns: his apartment-mates need to stop sitting around in their underwear.)

    My favorite section, "The Bridal Seamstress," features Aline, a young, idealistic journalism intern who interviews a woman who is about to retire from a career making bridal dresses for other Haitian immigrants ("they come here carrying photographs of tall, skinny girls in dresses that cost thousands of dollars. . . . It's part of my job to tell them, without making them cry, that they're too short, too wide, or too pregnant . . ."). The story turns darker when the older woman describes the new neighbor who, she claims, is the man who tortured her in Haiti. And, the longest and final story, "The Dew Breaker," takes us back to 1967, when the man who will be the cause of so many future nightmares conducts his last murderous assignment in Haiti, and then takes us forward to 2004, with the story of the woman who saved, forgave, and (if such a thing is possible) redeemed him.
    8 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2019
    The story is very interesting and so gripping that I could put it down!!! I have to read this book for my Afro-Caribbean literature class and honestly I learn more about Haiti then I ever thought. It is so good and each chapter is amazing!!! Great read!
    2 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2022
    From the evil and dysfunction of Haiti, this novel tells a story from the perspective of related characters derived from the crime or crimes committed by one man, an officer of the Haitian government who immigrates to the United States, New York, and with his wife, begin a new life, harboring his secret past. The structure of the novel is superbly handled, the story is well imagined, and the writing is tight and confident. A novel about the murderous actions of a single character and their consequences from an ensemble of related characters comes together nicely. Feelings of dread lingers after reading.
  • Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2024
    Buen precio
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2020
    This was a great read and very interesting. I didn’t know much about Haiti and I appreciate this author’s ability to take me there. The storyline was powerful and kept me engaged.
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2014
    Reasonably engaging. I bought to take with me on a trip to Haiti, didn't learn as much about the culture from this book as I thought I might. No complaints but wouldn't re-read it. I passed my copy on to a friend after finishing it. The author has a good writing style, no complaints about the pacing of the book, just felt the ending was too predictable.
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2017
    Had to buy the book for an English class. Starts off quite confusing but is very colorful and does a great job of incorporating characters despite chapters not being in chronological order. It definitely helps if you know some background about Haiti, or have a class that will be discussing the background of the book.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2022
    Una novela extraordinaria: tanto el modo en que Danticat urde la trama como su lenguaje son ejemplares. Una visión de Haití y una época que sobrevive en nuestra memoria.

Top reviews from other countries

  • Bob Lin
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great deal
    Reviewed in Canada on February 4, 2019
    I needed the book for an English course, the shipping was prompt and the price was great (got it used). Maybe not the most interesting, but I'm satisfied with my purchase.
  • Marcus Twainus
    5.0 out of 5 stars Thank you Amazon.de
    Reviewed in Germany on March 21, 2017
    I have not read the book, BUT I will read it in the future as a book club selection.
    The product had a good photo alongside its description. As always, the purchase went smoothly.
  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST Read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 4, 2016
    This book is really good. I had to read it for one of modules this year and I enjoyed it far more than I was expecting I would.
    It's a fascinating and compelling narrative about an aspect of history that is not talked about enough.
    I loved the format of interconnecting short stories that don't tell the reader everything and allow us to build our own connections and get surprised as we read on.
  • Kate
    5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful, poignant novel
    Reviewed in France on April 20, 2013
    Simply but beautifully written, the story of Haiti over two generations seen in flashbacks through various characters' eyes. A truly magnificent achievement.
  • Linda L Tatler
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on September 5, 2014
    Great seervice

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