TOUCHING SNOW

Karina is the middle child of a Haitian-American immigrant family who has moved to upstate New York. On the surface, they are living the American dream: hardworking, upwardly mobile, with grand aspirations for the next generation. However, behind closed doors, Karina’s abusive stepfather Gaston terrorizes her siblings. After the brutal assault of eldest sister Enid, Karina takes matters into her own hands. Richly textured with Haitian folklore and superstition, the colorful cast of characters twirls around like a kaleidoscope, yet their distinctive personalities save the narrative from being unintelligible. Karina’s voice is strongest and most authentic when recounting events of life at home and in the Haitian community; scenes about school and a budding lesbian relationship with the daughter of the family’s caseworker are less assured. At times, the first-person narration grates, but the tale never loses momentum. (Fiction. YA)