Myriam J.A. Chancy's historical novel about a Haitian earthquake hits on human truths

NPR's Book of the Day

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Books, Arts

4.2 • 672 Ratings

🗓️ 11 October 2021

⏱️ 9 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Back in August, Myriam J.A. Chancy was preparing for the release of her novel What Storm, What Thunder when the news broke: a magnitude 7.2 earthquake had hit Haiti. It was a "chilling and bittersweet" moment, she says; her soon-to-be-published book revolved around the 2010 earthquake that devastated the country, and its aftermath. In this episode, she talks to NPR's Scott Simon about the eerie similarities between the two quakes, how her characters speak to how international relief efforts have historically failed Haiti, and what the world can learn from the country's rebuilding efforts.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	It's NPR's book of the day. I'm Andrew Limbaugh. Back in August, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit Haiti and killed more than 2,000 people, dropping the island nation into yet another humanitarian crisis.
0:16.0	Infrastructure crumbled as relief organizations scrambled to offer aid. At the same time, Haitian Canadian-American writer Miriam J.A. Chonsey
0:25.0	was preparing to release her latest novel, What Storm, What Thunder,
0:29.0	which follows a handful of characters dealing with the aftermath of Hades 2010 earthquake.
0:34.8	A tragic coincidence, yes, but as she tells NPR Scott Simon, it's also an
0:39.7	opportunity to really examine how the aid process in times of crisis works, or how it doesn't.
0:47.3	In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life. Distant wars, murky
0:53.4	conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors on our new show,
0:57.5	Sources and Methods. NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real people, helping you
1:02.8	understand why distant events matter here at home. Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or
1:08.7	wherever you get your podcasts.
1:19.3	Miriam J.A. Choncci's novel, What Storm, What Thunder, opens at the moment of the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti that killed more than a quarter of a million people and shook up the lives of millions more.
1:25.6	Malou, who sells produce in a Port-au-Prince market, recalls the
1:29.5	moment the earth shuddered. We heard people on their cell phones all up and down the street
1:34.8	begging frantically for help, giving directions to where they fought they were beneath the rubble
1:39.9	within the rooms or their houses. Phones rang, we heard people answer them, then fewer and fewer voices,
1:48.2	the tinny persistent ringing of cell phone tones, different songs rising like wind from underground
1:53.9	with no answer.
1:55.7	We heard our own voices screaming at each other, asking for help, not knowing what to do. Faces covered with dust
2:03.5	and sweat and other things later to be determined, what to do. That's the author, Merriam J. A. Choncée,
2:10.5	who was born in Port-au-Prince, raised there and in Canada, and now teaches at Scripps
2:15.4	College. Thank you so much for being with us. Thank you for having
	...

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