Preview
  • Ayiti

  • By: Roxane Gay
  • Narrated by: Roxane Gay
  • Length: 2 hrs and 46 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (727 ratings)

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Ayiti

By: Roxane Gay
Narrated by: Roxane Gay
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Publisher's summary

From New York Times best-selling powerhouse Roxane Gay, Ayiti is a powerful collection exploring the Haitian diaspora experience. Originally published by a small press, this edition will make Gay’s debut widely available for the first time, including several new stories.

In Ayiti, a married couple seeking boat passage to America prepares to leave their homeland. A young woman procures a voodoo love potion to ensnare a childhood classmate. A mother takes a foreign soldier into her home as a boarder, and into her bed. And a woman conceives a daughter on the bank of a river while fleeing a horrific massacre, a daughter who later moves to America for a new life but is perpetually haunted by the mysterious scent of blood.

These early stories showcase Gay’s prowess as "one of the voices of our age” (National Post, Canada).

©2011, 2018 Roxane Gay. Recorded by arrangement with Grove Atlantic, Inc. (P)2018 Audible, Inc.
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What listeners say about Ayiti

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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As you would expect

Roxanne Gay is incredible as always. Got me crying in the car on my way to work with that queer love.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Stories I never knew I wanted to learn

I loved everything about this audio book. The performance kept me in the experience every minute of every story.
Each story, showed me a different world that other people call their only world. Some stories are heartbreaking other are inspiring.
Thank you for an amazing experience.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Meh

Just okay, nothing special or riveting here. I really had a tough time following this one.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Not great

I was hoping to learn a bit more of Haiti,but book only stressed that Haitians have full active and varied sex lives

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Raw Yet Gentle

Love, truth and jagged edges intertwine in rich full bloom. Excellent! Author’s narration exquisitely positions the reader at the heart of the matter.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

It's ok...

First thing I must note, every story entails, at least one scene of sex. It is tastefully done but, some people may not be okay with it. Many of the stories were good; some stories I wanted to hear more, others, I could care less.

I wasn't happy with the narration. I would have liked a better transition between stories, especially since the author/narrorator didn't change voices and the stories were written in first person, welll...mostly.

Not sure if I'd recommend this one. I don't regret listening but there was nothing I wanted to even share with anyone else. If the massacre/scent of blood story or the couple heading to Miami were more in depth, I may...there was something there. This is the reason for the score.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Poetic Journal Entries

The writing style is personal, poetic, and emotional. Nearly all first person 'slice of life' stories about a girl in Haiti. A few longer stories have some depth and emotion. Many of the shorter works read like journal entries, jotting down thoughts and observing life. The narrator has a slight lisp.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Brought back memories

Really liked it. Some of the stories really brought back fun memories of my homeland. I loved how descriptive the author about her sensory experiences. I didn't like the way most of the stories left you wondering. Overall good stories and very well read.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The Best Short Story Collection...

...I have read. Always a pleasure when the author is the narrator of the audio book! Well balanced, thoughtful, and utterly satisfying.

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28 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful! I wish a Movie could be Made!

What a Wonderful Collection of Stories! So diverse in the subject yet the setting is Ayiti. I plan to listen again and maybe pick up the hardcopy at the library.

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