Breath, Eyes, Memory

By Edwidge Danticat,

Book cover of Breath, Eyes, Memory

Book description

At the age of twelve, Sophie Caco is sent from her impoverished village of Croix-des-Rosets to New York, to be reunited with a mother she barely remembers. There she discovers secrets that no child should ever know, and a legacy of shame that can be healed only when she returns…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep the lights on. Or join the rebellion as a member.

Why read it?

1 author picked Breath, Eyes, Memory as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

As a teenager, Sophie leaves behind all that she knows in Haiti to be reunited with her mother. In New York, she falls for a man closer in age to her mother than herself. Her mother rages against him, or any man deemed unsuitable. Desire to guard Sophie's purity drives a wedge between them. The patriarchy of Haiti has lingering effects, resulting in maternal protection that resembles cruelty. Sophie tries to make a marriage work out in different ways and for different reasons than the women (mother, aunt, grandmother) who raised her and formed her ideas of womanhood. Stories of…

From Roy's list on Black family dynamics.

Want books like Breath, Eyes, Memory?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Breath, Eyes, Memory.

Browse books like Breath, Eyes, Memory

Book cover of The Mothers
Book cover of Silver Sparrow
Book cover of The Star Side of Bird Hill

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,098

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in New York State, travelers, and women?

New York State 558 books
Travelers 24 books
Women 649 books