Haitian Book Club: Aroma of Coffee by Dany Laferriere

Welcome to yet another edition of the Haitian Book Club.

Today’s selection is Aroma of Coffee by Dany Laferierre. This is one of those childhood chronicle books. It recounts the idyllic life of a little boy during the summer he turned ten. He is being raised by his loving, no-nonsense grandmother Da in a town named Petit Goave. We get not only a glimpse in his mischievous little mind, but a great overview of life in the countryside in Haiti. Da is easily the most popular grandma in town. She has an interpretation for just about every dream. And more importantly, she makes the best coffee in the world. It’s the scent of this expertly-brewed coffee that tickle the unnamed narrator’s nostrils and make the summer of 1963 eventful for him.

This book makes much of the role that grandmothers, especially Haitian grandmas, play in the lives of children. Da is obsessed with keeping a clean house, and nurtures her little grandson back to health when he has his frequent high fevers.

Aroma of Coffee is truly a stupendous little book. May you be reminded of your wonderful days in elementary school, when like the narrator of Aroma of Coffee, your greatest worry was whether chicken nuggets wouldn’t be served in the cafeteria.

To read of the other selections of the Haitian Book Club, CLICK HERE.