A Wedding in Haiti

A while back I was hungry for Julia Alvarez's work and when I found Something to Declare I saw that she also had a new book coming out and I immediately put it on hold with absolutely no idea what it was about. Her new book, called A Wedding in Haiti, is an account of two trips she made to Haiti, one before and the other after the earthquake. She and her husband bought a coffee farm in the Dominican Republic and the story she tells centers on her friendship with one of the workers, a young man from Haiti who came to her home country illegally to work. Julia promises him that she will attend his wedding someday and then goes to fulfill her promise. The book is the story of this friendship and her travels, but also is a reflection on the complexities and tragic history of Haiti. Fans of Alvarez will enjoy it (her prose is just so charming!) but it's not something that I'd tell most people to run out and read as I doubt the book would have wide appeal.