Elsie Augustave

Shame on me for my delay in reading this book I received from Librarythings Early Reviewers. Too many books landed on top of it. I'm glad that I finally pulled it out of the TBR pile. While this book is quite different from most books I reach for, it was fascinating to read the story about Iris Odys life in a middle-class American suburb and Haiti under the rule of Papa Doc's regime. The story being told from beyond the grave adds a mystical hint throughout the book but also left me hoping for a different ending.… (altro)

A poignant novel about a young Haitian woman, raised in the United States, discovering her roots in Haiti and Africa.

Numerous books are now being published about individuals who have migrated from Africa and other parts of the once colonized world. Often these reflect the movements of their authors’ lives. The Roving Tree tells the opposite story of a talented young woman failing to find herself in the “developed world” and needing to return to her homeland and then to her people’s African roots. This is the story of Iris, a Haitian girl adopted at the age of five by a white American couple. An anthropology professor and a gallery owner, they become her loving parents, but she has little contact with other Haitians, or even other blacks. When the mother who gave her birth dies, Iris returns to Haiti and grows to know the relatives she had left behind. While they complicate her life, she is enriched by the experience. Then, as a talented and skilled dancer, she is hired to work in Zaire, helping a dance troupe combine classic and native dances. Here her life takes on an expanded quality, despite its dangers. The opening section covering Iris’s childhood in the United States seemed sketchy, but when the novel expanded to Haiti and Africa it took on depth and interest. Both Haitian and African myths and traditions become important. The reality of dictators cast an ominous shadow on the personal affairs of Iris and those whom she came to love.

Augustave is a talented writer who brings her varied characters to life and shows readers parts of the world that few of us have experienced. Her book is an excellent anecdote to books about immigration that, intentionally or not, present the western world as the favored or inevitable destination. Like Iris, she was born in Haiti, lived in the United States, and choreographed for the prestigious National Dance Theater of Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of Congo.

I strongly recommend The Roving Tree to all those who are interested in Haiti, Zaire, and African traditions more generally.

I received this book as an advance copy from Akashic Books through Library Things Early Review program.… (altro)

The Roving Tree by Elsie Augustave is a remarkable debut novel. Protagonist, Iris, was born in Haiti to a poor, single woman named Hagathe who had good reason to fear for Iris's safety. When Iris was five years old Hagathe agreed to allow Iris to be adopted by a white, American couple with the means to give Iris a good quality of life. Iris retains some memories of her short time in Haiti and eventually asks about Hagathe and is told Hagathe requested that Iris not return to Haiti until she is an adult. Iris does return to Haiti, but not for the reasons one would expect.

While in Haiti, Iris learns much about her family's beliefs, history, culture and African roots. She sees for herself the contrast between her life in America and that of life in Haiti during the Duvalier regime. After graduating from college she considers returning to Haiti as a teacher. Instead she accepted a job offer to teach dance in Zaire even though she remains closely connected to her American family. Perhaps she was searching for something in Africa that she didn't have at home. Where does she belong?

In many respects, Iris adapts to life in Zaire but complications arise when she enters into a romantic relationship. Which culture defines Iris- Haitian, American or African? It may be that aspects of each contribute to the decisions she has to make. The characters are complex, believable and each with their own story. They play important roles in Iris's identity search. This is an eloquently written and memorable novel. I recommend reading this book.

I received this book free of charge from LibraryThing and I give this review of my own free will.… (altro)