New paperbacks for reading groups

A "Today" Show Book Club pick, the latest novel from Edwidge Danticat, author of the best-selling Breath, Eyes, Memory, tells the story of a young Haitian woman and the shocking secret she learns about her father. Made up of nine tightly connected chapters, the book follows Ka, a sculptor, who travels to Florida to deliver a piece she has recently completed—a mahogany rendering of her father. A former prisoner in Haiti, her father joins her on her journey, and the sculpture prompts him to tell the truth about his past: he was not, after all, a captive in Haiti, but a prison guard and torturer employed there by the government. His confession stuns Ka to the core, causing her to completely reevaluate her past. Meanwhile, the Haitian immigrants in their Brooklyn neighborhood have recognized her father and know about his history, and his presence becomes a source of pain for everyone. Other chapters in the book present detailed looks at the lives of various Haitians in New York, including a spinster seamstress named Beatrice, who was tortured years ago by Ka's father before coming to America. Offering a kaleidoscopic portrait of the immigrant experience, this is another timely and profound work of fiction from Danticat. A reading group guide is available in print and online at www.readinggroupcenter.com.

—JULIE HALE