Everything Inside: Stories

WINNER OF THE STORY PRIZE

One of the Best Books of the Year NPR, Time, Esquire, BuzzFeed, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“Haunting, profound—an answered prayer for those who have long treasured [Danticat’s] essential contributions to the Caribbean literary canon.” —O, The Oprah Magazine

“A beautiful book. . . . Danticat's birthplace, Haiti, emerges in an almost mythic fashion. . . . She has curated this slim volume, bringing its elements together to create a satisfying whole.” —The New York Times Book Review

“A master of the short story form. . . . In these eight narratives of unexpected romance, personal tragedy, and family complications, Danticat’s compassionate sensitivity to the ties that bind us shines through.” —Esquire

Immensely rewarding. . . . Clear-eyed . . . gorgeous. . . . A stunning collection that features some of the best writing of Danticat's brilliant career.” —NPR

A romance unexpectedly sparks between two wounded friends. A marriage ends for what seem like noble reasons, but with irreparable consequences. A young woman holds on to an impossible dream even as she fights for her survival. Two lovers reunite after unimaginable tragedy, both for their country and in their lives. A baby’s christening brings three generations of a family to a precarious dance between old and new. A man falls to his death in slow motion, reliving the defining moments of the life he is about to lose.

Set in locales from Miami and Port-auPrince to a small unnamed country in the Caribbean and beyond, here are eight emotionally absorbing stories, rich with hard-won wisdom and humanity. At once wide in scope and intimate, Everything Inside explores with quiet power and elegance the forces that pull us together or drive us apart, sometimes in the same searing instant.