What do you think?
Rate this book
The Garden of Broken Things
The gripping story of generations of women—mothers and daughters of Haiti—and the devastating earthquake that endangers one family on the brink and wakes the ghosts of their shared past.
Genevieve, a single mother, flies to Port-au-Prince in 2010 with her teenage son, Miles. The trip is meant to be an education for Miles—a chance to learn about his family’s roots while coming to terms with his father’s departure—but it’s also an excuse for Genevieve to escape New York City, where her life is dominated by her failed marriage and the daily pressures of raising Black children in America.
For Genevieve, the journey is also a homecoming of sorts: An opportunity to visit the island she remembers from childhood, reconnect with her abrasive cousin, Ateya, and tend to her young, dejected niece, Ti’Louse. But when the country is rocked by a massive earthquake—decimating the city and putting their lives at risk—Genevieve and Ateya are hurried down separate paths to preserve all they hold dearest: Ateya searching the plantain gardens for her daughter; Genevieve racing across the island to find medical care for her wounded son.
Teetering on the fault line of history and one family’s collapse, and written with dazzling prose and an unflinching eye, The Garden of Broken Things is an astonishing novel about restoration and disaster, motherhood and the bonds that carry through generations.
Genevieve, a single mother, flies to Port-au-Prince in 2010 with her teenage son, Miles. The trip is meant to be an education for Miles—a chance to learn about his family’s roots while coming to terms with his father’s departure—but it’s also an excuse for Genevieve to escape New York City, where her life is dominated by her failed marriage and the daily pressures of raising Black children in America.
For Genevieve, the journey is also a homecoming of sorts: An opportunity to visit the island she remembers from childhood, reconnect with her abrasive cousin, Ateya, and tend to her young, dejected niece, Ti’Louse. But when the country is rocked by a massive earthquake—decimating the city and putting their lives at risk—Genevieve and Ateya are hurried down separate paths to preserve all they hold dearest: Ateya searching the plantain gardens for her daughter; Genevieve racing across the island to find medical care for her wounded son.
Teetering on the fault line of history and one family’s collapse, and written with dazzling prose and an unflinching eye, The Garden of Broken Things is an astonishing novel about restoration and disaster, motherhood and the bonds that carry through generations.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published May 10, 2022
37 people are currently reading
4007 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
June 4, 2022
This is not a light read. Parts of it really hurt. Like really really hurt my gut amd heart. Have tissues and some tea. Take breaks. It's an important and inspiring story, but it's definitely not one I would recommend if you are not in a great place. This will stick with me for a while.
![Profile Image for Kelly {SpaceOnTheBookcase].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1672255572i%2F4799500._UX200_CR0%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
May 19, 2022
Powerful, raw, gritty and intense are all words I would use to describe Francesca Momplairsir’s latest novel, The Garden of Broken Things.
Genevieve wants to escape her feelings as a divorced mom of two black sons in America while in Haiti, her cousin, Ateya refuses to let her daughter leave while simultaneously withholding her love and affection. When a near miss happened with Genevieve’s oldest son, Miles, she decides it’s time to visit Haiti for a week so he can learn exactly how privileged middle class Americans are. While visiting Haiti the country is rocked by a devastating earthquake and the journey from guilt to love to acceptance begins.
Momsplairsir’s lyrical prose captures the reader's attention from the very beginning and carefully helps weave and navigate incredibly difficult topics like police shootings of black boys/men in America, raising children, immigrating and divorce.
This book wasn’t a fast read for me even though it’s just over 300 pages. There is a lot of depth and intensity even when there aren’t a lot of words on the page and I found myself putting the book down to process what I’d just read. It is a hard read but a worthwhile read, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
Genevieve wants to escape her feelings as a divorced mom of two black sons in America while in Haiti, her cousin, Ateya refuses to let her daughter leave while simultaneously withholding her love and affection. When a near miss happened with Genevieve’s oldest son, Miles, she decides it’s time to visit Haiti for a week so he can learn exactly how privileged middle class Americans are. While visiting Haiti the country is rocked by a devastating earthquake and the journey from guilt to love to acceptance begins.
Momsplairsir’s lyrical prose captures the reader's attention from the very beginning and carefully helps weave and navigate incredibly difficult topics like police shootings of black boys/men in America, raising children, immigrating and divorce.
This book wasn’t a fast read for me even though it’s just over 300 pages. There is a lot of depth and intensity even when there aren’t a lot of words on the page and I found myself putting the book down to process what I’d just read. It is a hard read but a worthwhile read, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
April 16, 2023
One thing about Francesca Momplaisir, she is not afraid to write about heartbreaking themes.
In The Garden of Broken Things we meet Genevieve, originally from Haiti she left at an early age to live in the US. She studied hard and started working as a therapist. While in school she met her husband and now father to her two sons. After years of philandering Genevieve finally decides to “leave” him but the pain remains fresh and she cannot seem to shake him. She should go to therapy for it, but do therapist go to therapy?
Added to her fail marriage, Genevieve’s son Miles starts acting out, in order to teach him a lesson she decides to take him to Haiti to show him what his life could be like if he doesn’t shape up. Nothing could prepare Genevieve for the decision that will shake the core of her life. While visiting Haiti she reconnects with family and friends, and tries her best to stay present even though she remains haunted by the things of the past.
I read Momplaisir’s first book and I made a note to read their sophomore novel and I can definitely say I am happy I did. I don’t think any book written about the earthquake in Haiti will be an easy read but this one was particularly hard. There was an undercurrent of hopelessness and sorrow that I didn’t shake even after finishing the book. I will say I did enjoy the author’s storytelling even with the heavy themes.
In The Garden of Broken Things we meet Genevieve, originally from Haiti she left at an early age to live in the US. She studied hard and started working as a therapist. While in school she met her husband and now father to her two sons. After years of philandering Genevieve finally decides to “leave” him but the pain remains fresh and she cannot seem to shake him. She should go to therapy for it, but do therapist go to therapy?
Added to her fail marriage, Genevieve’s son Miles starts acting out, in order to teach him a lesson she decides to take him to Haiti to show him what his life could be like if he doesn’t shape up. Nothing could prepare Genevieve for the decision that will shake the core of her life. While visiting Haiti she reconnects with family and friends, and tries her best to stay present even though she remains haunted by the things of the past.
I read Momplaisir’s first book and I made a note to read their sophomore novel and I can definitely say I am happy I did. I don’t think any book written about the earthquake in Haiti will be an easy read but this one was particularly hard. There was an undercurrent of hopelessness and sorrow that I didn’t shake even after finishing the book. I will say I did enjoy the author’s storytelling even with the heavy themes.
June 2, 2022
The Garden of Broken Things is what I would call a "painful, but necessary" read. It relates the story of three generations of Haitian women, a few who have immigrated to the U.S., the majority of whom still live in Haiti.
The novel opens in New York, where Genevieve is terrified for her teenage son Miles, who has been engaging in risk-taking behavior. She knows how much more likely he is to die from a confrontation with law enforcement than are his white peers. Hoping to give Miles's perspective a shake-up, she flies with him to her former home in rural Haiti—in January of 2010. They, like so many others, find themselves injured, desperately seeking help after the 7.0 earthquake.
Half of the book's chapters are narrated in Genevieve's voice; the other half are narrated in omniscient third person and examine the stories of her female relatives. These inside-of and outside-of perspectives work well to explore the tensions among these women, particularly between those who have remained in Haiti and those who immigrated.
Initially the book is fairly straightforward in its story-telling. We share some of Genevieve's thoughts, but events lead the way. In the latter half, the book digs deeply into the minds of its characters, focusing on how they respond to the emergency, the values they come to recognize in this situation, and their attempts to set things right.
Momplaisir's prose is beautiful, and that beautiful languages emphasizes the vastly different experience's of the novel's women. This is a book that will have you torn between wanting to plough through it as quickly as possible to learn its characters' fates and wanting to savor its sentences and paragraphs slowly so you can enjoy their full richness.
I received a free electronic review copy of this book; the opinions are my own.
The novel opens in New York, where Genevieve is terrified for her teenage son Miles, who has been engaging in risk-taking behavior. She knows how much more likely he is to die from a confrontation with law enforcement than are his white peers. Hoping to give Miles's perspective a shake-up, she flies with him to her former home in rural Haiti—in January of 2010. They, like so many others, find themselves injured, desperately seeking help after the 7.0 earthquake.
Half of the book's chapters are narrated in Genevieve's voice; the other half are narrated in omniscient third person and examine the stories of her female relatives. These inside-of and outside-of perspectives work well to explore the tensions among these women, particularly between those who have remained in Haiti and those who immigrated.
Initially the book is fairly straightforward in its story-telling. We share some of Genevieve's thoughts, but events lead the way. In the latter half, the book digs deeply into the minds of its characters, focusing on how they respond to the emergency, the values they come to recognize in this situation, and their attempts to set things right.
Momplaisir's prose is beautiful, and that beautiful languages emphasizes the vastly different experience's of the novel's women. This is a book that will have you torn between wanting to plough through it as quickly as possible to learn its characters' fates and wanting to savor its sentences and paragraphs slowly so you can enjoy their full richness.
I received a free electronic review copy of this book; the opinions are my own.
May 23, 2022
This is a story about mothers. And about a country ravaged and decimated by human greed and nature’s fury. It is a story about family and love and hate, and resilience and resurrection.
Genevieve is a Haitian-American mother of two boys, a professional woman who can provide an upscale life for them. But she cannot protect them in a country where a man’s safety is determined by his skin color. She threw out her handsome, charming ex for his philandering. Eldest son Miles has never recovered from that separation. He is courting trouble, and Genevieve is desperate to protect him from harm. Is she failing at her most important job–keeping her son alive?
She decides to take Miles to Haiti, to meet her family and experience their subsistence life, hoping he will understand his good luck, and perhaps begin to value what he has instead of focusing on what is missing.
Generations of women in Genevieve’s family have held onto daughters, their menfolk unreliable. Only daughters will stay to care for the mothers. Ol’ Lady and Ma brought Genevieve to America, but her cousin Ateya was forced to remain by her mother. She is bitter, never having experienced love or safety. American money gave her an education which allowed her to create a plantain farm, and American gifts allow her luxuries like a car and nicer clothes than the her neighbors. Ateya both loves and needs her daughter, while abusing and hating her. Genevieve loves the girl and is determined to bring her to America. Who then would prepare Ateya’s grave and inherit her land?
It is 2010, and during their visit a devastating earthquake destroys the family village and the capital city of Port au Prince. Each mother embarks on a tortuous journey, across Haiti and internally to face their own failings and pain.
Genevieve and Milo’s journey across Haiti takes them from the markets of Port-au-Prince to their ancestral village, and after the earthquake, into the mountains which protected the slaves who fled their slave masters, to northern Cape Haitian, once the French colonialist capital. Momplaisir recreates the horror and devastation of the earthquake, whose epicenter was in Port-au-Prince.
These fierce women, fraught and stretched wire thin, are vividly drawn and unforgettable. The whole history of a nation and a people is revealed in the story. There is a lyricism to the writing, moments of otherworldly beauty and dream-like horror, and devastating insight that sucks your breath away. The book tackles big issues through the lives of ordinary women fighting for the lives of their loved ones and their own survival. It is a shattering read.
I received a book from the publisher. My review is fair and unbiased.
Genevieve is a Haitian-American mother of two boys, a professional woman who can provide an upscale life for them. But she cannot protect them in a country where a man’s safety is determined by his skin color. She threw out her handsome, charming ex for his philandering. Eldest son Miles has never recovered from that separation. He is courting trouble, and Genevieve is desperate to protect him from harm. Is she failing at her most important job–keeping her son alive?
She decides to take Miles to Haiti, to meet her family and experience their subsistence life, hoping he will understand his good luck, and perhaps begin to value what he has instead of focusing on what is missing.
Generations of women in Genevieve’s family have held onto daughters, their menfolk unreliable. Only daughters will stay to care for the mothers. Ol’ Lady and Ma brought Genevieve to America, but her cousin Ateya was forced to remain by her mother. She is bitter, never having experienced love or safety. American money gave her an education which allowed her to create a plantain farm, and American gifts allow her luxuries like a car and nicer clothes than the her neighbors. Ateya both loves and needs her daughter, while abusing and hating her. Genevieve loves the girl and is determined to bring her to America. Who then would prepare Ateya’s grave and inherit her land?
It is 2010, and during their visit a devastating earthquake destroys the family village and the capital city of Port au Prince. Each mother embarks on a tortuous journey, across Haiti and internally to face their own failings and pain.
Genevieve and Milo’s journey across Haiti takes them from the markets of Port-au-Prince to their ancestral village, and after the earthquake, into the mountains which protected the slaves who fled their slave masters, to northern Cape Haitian, once the French colonialist capital. Momplaisir recreates the horror and devastation of the earthquake, whose epicenter was in Port-au-Prince.
These fierce women, fraught and stretched wire thin, are vividly drawn and unforgettable. The whole history of a nation and a people is revealed in the story. There is a lyricism to the writing, moments of otherworldly beauty and dream-like horror, and devastating insight that sucks your breath away. The book tackles big issues through the lives of ordinary women fighting for the lives of their loved ones and their own survival. It is a shattering read.
I received a book from the publisher. My review is fair and unbiased.
June 21, 2022
I won my copy in a Goodreads giveaway. It fulfilled one of my reading goals; it’s a contemporary fiction book about a culture/country foreign to me written by a native of that country or culture.
Even though this book was a relatively short read I found it a chore to finish.
The two POV characters are bitter and deliberately petty and spiteful throughout a large portion of the book, which makes it hard to read even when they are more relatable.
I was starting to find the story more engaging when the earthquake occurred, and then it quickly started to lose me. I was just getting interested in the conflict between Ateya and Genevieve and then the earthquake happened and that’s that for the conflicts between them. It’s not very satisfying.
When the earthquake occurs the focus shifts entirely from the conflicts that were building and driving the tension that was starting to feel worth investing my energy in.
When that focus shifted I found where the focus re-centered to to be far less interesting.
I also found the POV of Genevieve’s tendency to repeat EVERYTHING three times to be horribly annoying. If I took a shot for every time she repeated something three times, I would’ve been blackout drunk. I know it’s supposed to convey meaning, emotion, anxiety, but it annoyed me. It comes across like somebody who just discovered Slam poetry performing at an open mic “does he know? Does he know? Does he know?” “She wanted what was hers. Hers. Hers.” “Should I tell him? Should I tell him? Should I tell him?” Just over and over and over.
None of the central conflicts had satisfactory conclusions, The whole book kind of fizzles to an ending.
I appreciate stories from different perspectives, but I didn’t really care for this one.
Even though this book was a relatively short read I found it a chore to finish.
The two POV characters are bitter and deliberately petty and spiteful throughout a large portion of the book, which makes it hard to read even when they are more relatable.
I was starting to find the story more engaging when the earthquake occurred, and then it quickly started to lose me. I was just getting interested in the conflict between Ateya and Genevieve and then the earthquake happened and that’s that for the conflicts between them. It’s not very satisfying.
When the earthquake occurs the focus shifts entirely from the conflicts that were building and driving the tension that was starting to feel worth investing my energy in.
When that focus shifted I found where the focus re-centered to to be far less interesting.
I also found the POV of Genevieve’s tendency to repeat EVERYTHING three times to be horribly annoying. If I took a shot for every time she repeated something three times, I would’ve been blackout drunk. I know it’s supposed to convey meaning, emotion, anxiety, but it annoyed me. It comes across like somebody who just discovered Slam poetry performing at an open mic “does he know? Does he know? Does he know?” “She wanted what was hers. Hers. Hers.” “Should I tell him? Should I tell him? Should I tell him?” Just over and over and over.
None of the central conflicts had satisfactory conclusions, The whole book kind of fizzles to an ending.
I appreciate stories from different perspectives, but I didn’t really care for this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 12, 2022
Told through alternating POVs of 2 cousins, we uncover a multi-generational story of love, violence, death and motherhood that was so beautifully told, but horrifying.
A mom who has recently uncovered her son has gotten in trouble at school, after the parents have split, has decided to take her son back to Haiti with her. This is right before the earthquakes that devastated in 2010.
This book wrecked me. Some of the best writing I have read this year.
A mom who has recently uncovered her son has gotten in trouble at school, after the parents have split, has decided to take her son back to Haiti with her. This is right before the earthquakes that devastated in 2010.
This book wrecked me. Some of the best writing I have read this year.
June 22, 2022
Thank you to the publisher (#AAKnopfPartner #Sponsored) for a gifted copy of Francesca Momplaisir’s gorgeously written book THE GARDEN OF BROKEN THINGS, set during the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti. This book just came out this past May.
Take your time with this one. It hurts: really, it does. Dig your hands deep into this hurt, this hurt carried by mothers and daughters. Follow Genevieve from New York to Port-au-Prince with her son, a son whose pain she hopes to heal with this trip, but also, selfishly she thinks, a chance for her to unload her own traumas of heartbreak. Follow Ateya, her cousin in Haiti, and wince at the ways that this woman’s hardened self has corrupted the love she feels for her daughter. Feel the rich ground shake under your feet, bloodied ground ravaged by centuries of colonialism and white saviorism, defended by the bodies of its people to become the world’s first free Black republic, turned over over and over again with no time in between to recuperate; feel it shake with the heaviness of this history and the truth of the past. A past that swallows, deep and dark and ready, that creates bodies “racked by the remembrance of broken families, men sold away from women, children from mothers, hope from hearts.”
What do we need to know? How does a diaspora contend with the privilege of coming and leaving? What do we bring? What do we leave behind? What do we take with us? There is still much I have to unpack with this one, but these—and more—are the questions left on my mind as I finished this book this first time around.
“This must have been a grove / that would always and only / grow ghosts and graves”
Full review: https://www.instagram.com/p/CfFf4onvzm-/
Take your time with this one. It hurts: really, it does. Dig your hands deep into this hurt, this hurt carried by mothers and daughters. Follow Genevieve from New York to Port-au-Prince with her son, a son whose pain she hopes to heal with this trip, but also, selfishly she thinks, a chance for her to unload her own traumas of heartbreak. Follow Ateya, her cousin in Haiti, and wince at the ways that this woman’s hardened self has corrupted the love she feels for her daughter. Feel the rich ground shake under your feet, bloodied ground ravaged by centuries of colonialism and white saviorism, defended by the bodies of its people to become the world’s first free Black republic, turned over over and over again with no time in between to recuperate; feel it shake with the heaviness of this history and the truth of the past. A past that swallows, deep and dark and ready, that creates bodies “racked by the remembrance of broken families, men sold away from women, children from mothers, hope from hearts.”
What do we need to know? How does a diaspora contend with the privilege of coming and leaving? What do we bring? What do we leave behind? What do we take with us? There is still much I have to unpack with this one, but these—and more—are the questions left on my mind as I finished this book this first time around.
“This must have been a grove / that would always and only / grow ghosts and graves”
Full review: https://www.instagram.com/p/CfFf4onvzm-/
May 13, 2022
Grim, and harrowing: two words that may be used in the description of this novel. Trigger warnings for death, abuse, other forms of violence. Some spoilers ahead.
Three generations of Haitian women from two branches of a family, one branch having migrated to the US, interact in disturbing ways. Ties to the homeland remain very strong, but there is an acceptance that the homeland is a difficult place, and the women who remain in Haiti long to leave.
Genevieve, a divorcee living in the US, is struggling to protect her teenaged son. In an attempt to ground him and to show him his privilege, she decides to take him to Haiti. Just after their arrival, a devastating event occurs.
I found many aspects of this book disturbing and quite bleak, and would have stopped reading it (but it was an ARC!). Having finished it, though, I realised how much it moved me. It’s a passionate account of the travails of the people of Haiti, a cry from the heart for justice, mercy, and compassion. Using the women as a vehicle, Momplaisir advances a powerfully feministic viewpoint of migration, child-rearing and inheritance in the midst of national turmoil. This is also a devastating, heartbreaking account of (spoiler) the 2010 earthquake.
So, a hard read, reminiscent to me of Véronique Tadjo’s In The Company of Men. I did not enjoy this book, because of the content, but Momplaisir’s writing is powerful, urgent, and necessary.
Rated: 6/10.
Thank you to NetGalley and to Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for this eARC.
Three generations of Haitian women from two branches of a family, one branch having migrated to the US, interact in disturbing ways. Ties to the homeland remain very strong, but there is an acceptance that the homeland is a difficult place, and the women who remain in Haiti long to leave.
Genevieve, a divorcee living in the US, is struggling to protect her teenaged son. In an attempt to ground him and to show him his privilege, she decides to take him to Haiti. Just after their arrival, a devastating event occurs.
I found many aspects of this book disturbing and quite bleak, and would have stopped reading it (but it was an ARC!). Having finished it, though, I realised how much it moved me. It’s a passionate account of the travails of the people of Haiti, a cry from the heart for justice, mercy, and compassion. Using the women as a vehicle, Momplaisir advances a powerfully feministic viewpoint of migration, child-rearing and inheritance in the midst of national turmoil. This is also a devastating, heartbreaking account of (spoiler) the 2010 earthquake.
So, a hard read, reminiscent to me of Véronique Tadjo’s In The Company of Men. I did not enjoy this book, because of the content, but Momplaisir’s writing is powerful, urgent, and necessary.
Rated: 6/10.
Thank you to NetGalley and to Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for this eARC.
May 11, 2022
I'm extending my gratitude towards Knopf Publishing and Francesca Momplaisir for sending me this gorgeous hardback copy of The Garden of Broken Things. I simply couldn't put this one down both our of intrigue and terror. When Genevieve jets down to her Haitian hometown in hopes of teaching her son a lesson about privilege and familial roots, she's also running from turmoil and heartbreak in NYC, yearning to reconnect with the ties of her heritage as well. Greeted by welcoming arms and some not-so-much, the duo begin to journey throughout the Port-au-Prince region.
The trip is cut short when the horrible 2010 Earthquake rips through the island striking down buildings and leaving wreckage behind in its path. As the bodies begin to pile up, Genevieve finds her family separated and all fighting for their lives to survive this freak natural disaster. As each Haitian flees the center of the storm, they reminisce on memories of hurt and growth that summarize their generational trauma growing up and outgrowing traditions.
Like I said, I couldn't put this book down and I thoroughly enjoyed Momplaisir's lyrical prose that captivated me from the start, immersing me in the inner workings of this lineage of Haitian women and their struggles.
4.5/5 I strongly recommend.
The trip is cut short when the horrible 2010 Earthquake rips through the island striking down buildings and leaving wreckage behind in its path. As the bodies begin to pile up, Genevieve finds her family separated and all fighting for their lives to survive this freak natural disaster. As each Haitian flees the center of the storm, they reminisce on memories of hurt and growth that summarize their generational trauma growing up and outgrowing traditions.
Like I said, I couldn't put this book down and I thoroughly enjoyed Momplaisir's lyrical prose that captivated me from the start, immersing me in the inner workings of this lineage of Haitian women and their struggles.
4.5/5 I strongly recommend.
May 29, 2022
The lead characters, Bright and Genevieve, have a tumultuous relationship. Bright cheated, then left her and his kids so he could run from his responsibilities. Of course this betrayl had an extreme impact on Genevieve and her two boys.
It was also wonderful that the book discussed the impact of police brutality on Black men. Genevieve experiences the fear most Black mothers have with their child coming across a the wrong type of cop (like Tamir Rice). I think this message was important to address as she reflects on the hardships of raising her son, Miles. The book also addresses how most middle-class children in the United States, are entitled and don't know what it feels like to live in a country like Haiti, with
horrible infrastructure and lacknof economic opportunities.
The metaphors for the general trauma the characters experienced, combined with the aftermath of the earthquake is deep. Genevieve's character states:
"Glass is crashing and someone will be faulted for its falling. I have to get to Ti Louse before Ateya does. If she reaches the girl first, I will never forgive myself. There will be too many broken things, pieces that I can't pick up and put back together"
The author also captures the devastation of the earthquake and the events that followed. Ateya's character states:
'Why didn't everyone in her country kill themselves? Surely, it was not hope that things would get better. There was no evidence that they ever would. On the contrary, everything they had experienced in the past and were going through presently, everything their ancestors had suffered throughout history, told them that there was no hope and that there would never be any. Except maybe to leave the country."
The book talks about how nobody every "visits" Haiti. Even airports refuse to have layovers there, so people are not witnessing the way Haitan's are forced to live. This book definitely had a huge impact on me. The way the author explores the depths of the characters is mind blowing. This is the second book I have read by Francesca Momplaisir and she has left me stunned each time.
It was also wonderful that the book discussed the impact of police brutality on Black men. Genevieve experiences the fear most Black mothers have with their child coming across a the wrong type of cop (like Tamir Rice). I think this message was important to address as she reflects on the hardships of raising her son, Miles. The book also addresses how most middle-class children in the United States, are entitled and don't know what it feels like to live in a country like Haiti, with
horrible infrastructure and lacknof economic opportunities.
The metaphors for the general trauma the characters experienced, combined with the aftermath of the earthquake is deep. Genevieve's character states:
"Glass is crashing and someone will be faulted for its falling. I have to get to Ti Louse before Ateya does. If she reaches the girl first, I will never forgive myself. There will be too many broken things, pieces that I can't pick up and put back together"
The author also captures the devastation of the earthquake and the events that followed. Ateya's character states:
'Why didn't everyone in her country kill themselves? Surely, it was not hope that things would get better. There was no evidence that they ever would. On the contrary, everything they had experienced in the past and were going through presently, everything their ancestors had suffered throughout history, told them that there was no hope and that there would never be any. Except maybe to leave the country."
The book talks about how nobody every "visits" Haiti. Even airports refuse to have layovers there, so people are not witnessing the way Haitan's are forced to live. This book definitely had a huge impact on me. The way the author explores the depths of the characters is mind blowing. This is the second book I have read by Francesca Momplaisir and she has left me stunned each time.
July 23, 2022
A novel that started out more interesting than it ended. Genevieve is going back to Haiti after her husband has left her and her son is getting in trouble in school. She thinks taking her son back to Haiti will help him understand his roots and understand the benefits of living in America will straighten him out. Meeting with her family, she connects with her family which hasn’t had the advantage of living in the US. Suddenly a huge earthquake happens and the family is torn apart and dead ancestors come up in the form pf ghosts. It gets confusing after that and I lost interest. What struck me hard is the focus on women absent men. The men are described brutal, cause of violence in Haiti and their family’s lives and country. Women give birth to children and try to cope. So where does that leave Miles, the son?
June 3, 2022
This is a really hard hitting and beautifully written book. However, its very poetic literary fiction which is just not my favorite. This is about a woman who takes her son to Haiti to temporarily escape the dangers of NYC and to let him see where she was from. She has a cousin who has a lot of hostility and bitterness toward her for being the one who got to go to America and other things. When they get there, the first half is all the family issues. We get her perspective and her cousin's. Then the earthquake happens in Haiti and her cousin's daughter is missing and our main characters son is injured. It's heartbreaking and dramatic, the writing style just wasn't for me.
July 25, 2022
I worried about this book in the introduction-- it was quite lyrical and fanciful-- but the book totally delivered. An amazing story on many levels. I would compare this to a Toni Morrison novel-- it is just exquisite. The characters are complex and what you think can't possibly be understood is brought to light and made understandable. This book is likely to win many awards.
June 18, 2022
amazingly written. i didn’t quite relate to the main character but i definitely empathized with her. my heart breaks for my country every time i read about what has happened to it. haiti i love you <3
June 13, 2022
This book is well-written but hard to read. I'm not sure it says anything significant about Haiti or its culture. It's just a depressing, violent, tragic tale.
October 24, 2024
“It may be that we are always fighting the now to guard against the future, with the past chasing us into a hopeless nowhere. We exist in and in-between place. That is me.”
The Garden of Broken Things explores not just what it means to be a migrant and belong to two places, but also highlights the contrast of those who have left and those who have remained.
From the constant tug of war of generationally wanting a better life deemed the American dream for the females in Genevieve’s family. The contrast between each cousin is highlighted. From the one that got away, to the one that remained. Starting with Ol’Lady and Madame to Yannique and Guit ending with Ateya and Genevieve.
The American dream is not just met with envy and jealousy but also fortune. For the cousin that is able to escape to another home after a devastating earthquake has almost completely destroyed Haiti. While the other has no choice but to remain.
It explores not just migration, but motherhood, magical realism and nationalism. The story is beautifully woven to tell the tale of a mother’s love and that of a country’s despair.
As Momplaisir so eloquently writes, “History is heavy. Whether written down in stacks of books falling like bricks or carried on the honest tongues of gifted griots, the weight of it crushes.”
The Garden of Broken Things explores not just what it means to be a migrant and belong to two places, but also highlights the contrast of those who have left and those who have remained.
From the constant tug of war of generationally wanting a better life deemed the American dream for the females in Genevieve’s family. The contrast between each cousin is highlighted. From the one that got away, to the one that remained. Starting with Ol’Lady and Madame to Yannique and Guit ending with Ateya and Genevieve.
The American dream is not just met with envy and jealousy but also fortune. For the cousin that is able to escape to another home after a devastating earthquake has almost completely destroyed Haiti. While the other has no choice but to remain.
It explores not just migration, but motherhood, magical realism and nationalism. The story is beautifully woven to tell the tale of a mother’s love and that of a country’s despair.
As Momplaisir so eloquently writes, “History is heavy. Whether written down in stacks of books falling like bricks or carried on the honest tongues of gifted griots, the weight of it crushes.”
September 24, 2022
*Disclosure-I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway*
How many times have you finished a book and were unsure how you felt about it? Most times I know how to rate books and either have a strong reaction either way (very good or very bad). I have a lot of 4 star books and not a lot of 5 stars. This book I would say would be a 3.75.
It is a very well written book about a mother living in New York with her family, an estranged ex/lover/husband, and loving, though possessive mother and grandmother. In the backdrop is Haiti, a cousin who abuses her daughter, and the the earthquake that is the impetus for the main character (Genevieve) and her cousin in Haiti (Ateya) to change their views on life, love, and parenthood.
This book has big themes, such as motherhood, poverty vs wealth, beauty standards, racism, and the haves vs have-nots.
I'm sorry not to be more detailed, because I don't want to give the story away. I recommend this book, but still don't quite know what to make of it. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing, I just don't know.
How many times have you finished a book and were unsure how you felt about it? Most times I know how to rate books and either have a strong reaction either way (very good or very bad). I have a lot of 4 star books and not a lot of 5 stars. This book I would say would be a 3.75.
It is a very well written book about a mother living in New York with her family, an estranged ex/lover/husband, and loving, though possessive mother and grandmother. In the backdrop is Haiti, a cousin who abuses her daughter, and the the earthquake that is the impetus for the main character (Genevieve) and her cousin in Haiti (Ateya) to change their views on life, love, and parenthood.
This book has big themes, such as motherhood, poverty vs wealth, beauty standards, racism, and the haves vs have-nots.
I'm sorry not to be more detailed, because I don't want to give the story away. I recommend this book, but still don't quite know what to make of it. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing, I just don't know.
June 4, 2022
I won a free copy of this book via a giveaway and was so excited to get it. I'd heard the author had received much praise, and I was eager to read a novel set in Haiti. The book is beautiful as an object. Hardback with a lushly illustrated book jacket. And the novel opens up with a lyric series of prose/poetry that instantly grabbed me. However, the lyricism quickly fell away, and the prose that followed was serviceable but not terribly exciting. Ultimately it fell flat for me, as did the main character. I found her uninteresting and not especially likable. And while a main character doesn't have to be likable, I do want them to be compelling. I stuck with this for about five chapters before deciding I wasn't enjoying it enough to keep going with it. If I didn't have a large stack of books in my to read pile, perhaps I would have kept reading. After all, it's not bad. It just wasn't for me.
May 18, 2022
THE GARDEN OF BROKEN THINGS follows single mother, Genevieve, as she returns to her home country of Haiti with her unruly teenage son, Miles. Genevieve is using this opportunity to reconnect with her family and hopes to instill grit and gratitude in Miles. Shortly after their arrival, the country is devastated by an earthquake and their trip becomes a horrifying test of survival. This book is a reimagining of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti and centers around the women in Genevieve’s family who have been separated and are trying to survive this catastrophic event. With powerful writing and lyrical prose, Monplaisir explores generational trauma, migration, privilege, and motherhood. Urgent, eye-opening, and compelling—this story offers a vivid exploration of the Haitian diaspora.
October 1, 2023
I want to highlight that the author has a distinct writing signature that I will recognize forever. She creates characters not by describing them, but by carefully analyzing their thought processes and behaviors. So not only do you know the characters, you know how they think, and this humanizes them. The story is about a woman who has two sons, and is divorced from her husband who cheated on her. In an attempt to scare her son straight, and to also give him a wake up call from the depression he is slipping into, she takes him to Haiti (where she is from). Unfortunately, while there, an earthquake hits, and we go on this journey with the characters as they try to get back to the United States.
September 19, 2022
I feel like this book needed a serious edit. The beginning was so much stronger than the middle and ending, where it just fell apart. The incessant run on and fragmented sentences made me want to pull out my hair, as did the constant repetition - hers, hers, hers. There were so many plot points that needed more explanation. The voudo/ magical realism came out of nowhere for me, even though I know it’s part of Haitian culture. It just didn’t fit with the rest of the book. Also, and maybe this is my privilege coming through, but how do we let mothers mother like Ateya? I didn’t see this as a story about mothers… it was many stories that tried to come together and should have stayed separate.
January 29, 2022
The moment I picked up "The Garden of Broken Things" Genevieve began to speak to the inner core of my soul. Genevieve goes from having the appearance of a beautiful wholesome family to having "shameful urges of love for the love she left" with Bright to raising two sons, Miles and Yves with shared custody to deciding whether or not to send Miles down south or to introduce him to life as it is in Haiti with Family. Then they experience a tumultuous earthquake that arises from the belly of the earth. There are many relevant life's lessons in this book.
April 22, 2023
3.5 ⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the e-book! The Garden of Broken Things follows Genevieve’s life as she returns to visit Haiti with her American born son, getting time away from the mental attachment to her ex husband, when an earthquake hits. This story covers a lot of ground in the themes of motherhood, class/privilege and generational trauma. While I don’t think I’m the target demographic for this book, I did enjoy reading it and found myself a lot more attached to these characters than initially anticipated.
Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the e-book! The Garden of Broken Things follows Genevieve’s life as she returns to visit Haiti with her American born son, getting time away from the mental attachment to her ex husband, when an earthquake hits. This story covers a lot of ground in the themes of motherhood, class/privilege and generational trauma. While I don’t think I’m the target demographic for this book, I did enjoy reading it and found myself a lot more attached to these characters than initially anticipated.
July 17, 2022
I started this book with the intention of enjoying what I thought would be a great book. This was a tragedy. The bland characters, the repetitive phrases e.g. her her her, should I tell should I tell should I tell, the topsy turvy of total confusion, the poetic disaster, and me trying to stay awake as I read this...this....this....not sure what to call it. When I read the last page, I smiled as giddy as ever vowing that I WILL NEVER read another book written by this author.
October 24, 2023
The story itself needed a little more polishing IMO, however, I’m ultimately giving this little gem five stars because I think it illustrates some of the challenges and the complex situation of the Haitian people in a way that is really unique. The writing makes the generational pain almost tangible and it explores themes that are difficult but still very much the reality for so many Haitian women. A good read overall.
June 16, 2022
The Garden of Broken Things
is the second book by Francesca Momplaisir and it takes no prisoners.
It is an entertaining drama that is also a thriller and heart-stopping historical fiction.
I laughed and I cried and I learned some things that I wouldn't have known otherwise.
Yet another book that stays with you.
Beautifully written.
A lovely, deep experience.
is the second book by Francesca Momplaisir and it takes no prisoners.
It is an entertaining drama that is also a thriller and heart-stopping historical fiction.
I laughed and I cried and I learned some things that I wouldn't have known otherwise.
Yet another book that stays with you.
Beautifully written.
A lovely, deep experience.
June 25, 2022
I won this book on Goodreads. It was the story of Genevieve, a divorced mother with 2 sons. She decides to take her teenage son Miles to Haiti, where her ancestors are from. While there there is a major hurricane, and much devastation. I found this book very sad and depressing. I also was disappointed because it had received rave reviews.
July 23, 2022
This is not a book you should read in one sitting, it's so deep and raw that I believe that you should take breaks to digest what you just read. The book is so raw and shows the desperation of those people that it actually brought tears to my eyes. This book was absolutely like nothing I'd ever read before.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews