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Haitian Book Club: The Gift of Misfortune by Joseph P. Policape


The Gift of Misfortune by Joseph P. Policape is today’s Haitian Book Club selection.

Armand and Deborah Etienne had it all in Haiti.

The Etienne siblings lived a comfortable lifestyle in Port-au-Prince, and had all the perks of the good life—except piece of mind. Deborah refuses to date the son of an official. This probably would have resulted into a bruised ego, and nothing else in any other place in time, but Deborah Etienne is living in Port-au-Prince, Haiti in the 1980s, when the spurned advances of a powerful official, can lead to disaster.

So this little incident, coupled with the general restlessness of that era, prompts Armand and Deborah to leave Haiti for New York to join their sisters who left some years back.

The bulk of the novel deals with the Etienne siblings assimilation in America, and Armand’s chaotic love life. After getting a huge chunk of the educational part of the American Dream, Armand marries Monica. This relationship is frowned upon by Armand’s entourage even before it makes it to the altar, but Armand doesn’t listen to anyone admonishments, not even partially.

From this point The Gift of Misfortune becomes a melodrama, but not a melodrama without substance. The central theme of it all is how immigrants often adopt new customs not their own, that can lead to their unraveling.

K St. Fort
K St. Fort
ABOUT K. St Fort K. St. Fort is the Editor and Founder of, well, Kreyolicious.com and wishes to give you a heartfelt welcome to her site. She loves to read, write, and listen to music and is fascinated by her Haitian roots, and all aspects of her culture. Speaking of music, she likes it loud, really, really loud. Like bicuspid valve raising-loud. Her other love are the movies. She was once a Top 50 finalist for a student screenwriting competition, encouraging her to continue pounding the pavement. She has completed several screenplays, with Haiti as the backdrop, one of which tackles sexual abuse in an upper middle class Haitian family, while another has child slavery as its subject. She is currently completing another script, this time a thriller, about two sisters who reunite after nearly 10 years of separation. A strong believer in using films to further educational purposes, and to raise awareness about important subjects, she has made it a point to write about social issues facing Haiti, and making them an integral part of her projects. She has interviewed such Haitian-American celebrities as Roxane Gay, Garcelle Beauvais, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Briana Roy, Karen Civil, and many, many more. And that’s her writing this whole biographical sketch. She actually thinks writing about herself in the third person is cute. MY WEBSITE Kreyolicious ™: kree-ohl-lish-uh s: Surely an adjective…the state of being young, gorgeous, fine and utterly Haitian. Kreyolicious.com™, the hub for young, upwardly mobile Haitian-Americans, is akin to a 18th Century cultural salon but with a Millennium sensibility–an inviting lair, where we can discuss literature, music, problems facing the community, and everything on the side and in-between. Kreyolicious is the premier lifestyle, culture and entertainment blog and brand of the hip, young, trend-oriented, forward thinking Haitian-American. It’s the definite hot spot to learn more about Haiti our emerging identity as a people, and explore our pride and passion about our unique and vibrant culture. Within the site’s pages, Kreyolicious.com is going to engage you, empower you, and deepen your connection to everything Haitian: the issues, the culture, our cinema, the history, our cuisine, the style, the music, the worldwide community. Make yourself at home in my cultural salon. If you’re looking to learn more about Haiti, Kreyolicious.com invites you to board this trolley on a journey–on our journey. For me too, it is a process, a non-ending cultural odyssey. If you’re already acculturated, I can certainly learn something from you. We can learn from one other, for certain. With my site, Kreyolicious.com I look forward to inspiring you, to enriching you, and to participating alongside of you, in the cultural celebration. And being utterly kreyolicious. How do you wear your kreyoliciousness? On your sleeves, like I do? Kreyoliciously Yours, Your girl K. St. Fort, Ahem, follow me elsewhere!

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