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Edwidge Danticat’s new novel ‘Dèy’ explores motherhood, grief and the concept of home

Book jacket art for Edwidge Danticat's novel Déy.
Courtesy of Knopf
Book jacket art for Edwidge Danticat's new novel Déy.

Edwidge Danticat’s new book Dèy opens at a mall. A Haitian American real estate agent named Magnolia is there to buy a phone for her daughter. But before she has the chance, a mass shooting breaks out. Magnolia survives, but she doesn’t tell anyone what she’s experienced.

Dèy is a book about grief— the title comes from a Haitian Kreyòl word for mourning. But grief is only one of the complex ideas that the book explores.

GUEST:

  • Edwidge Danticat: Wun Tsun Tam Mellon Professor of the Humanities in the Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies at Columbia University. Her book Breath, Eyes, Memory was an Oprah’s Book Club selection, and she’s had two books chosen as National Book Award Finalists. Her latest book is Dèy.

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Kevin Chang Barnum is a producer for Connecticut Public Radio’s weekly show Disrupted. Kevin grew up in Connecticut and started his radio work at his graduate university’s radio station, KUCI. He has also worked for HRN, a network of food and beverage podcasts.
Dr. Khalilah L. Brown-Dean is an award-winning scholar at Wesleyan University, author, and host of 'Disrupted' on Connecticut Public.
Erica McIntosh is Senior Regional Editor for Southern Connecticut. Erica was born and raised in Connecticut.
Robyn Doyon-Aitken is the Deputy Director of Audio Storytelling and Talk Shows
Meg Fitzgerald is the senior manager of projects and radio programming.

Funding provided by:
The Connecticut Office of Film, Television and Digital Media

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