In his visions and memories he hopes to find the strength to survive - perhaps then Shorty and Toussaint can find a way to be free. Marked in a way that links him to Toussaint l’Ouverture, the Haitian rebel who led the slave revolt and faced down Napoleon to force the French out of Haiti 200 years ago.Īs he grows weaker, Shorty relives the journey that took him to the hospital, with a bullet wound in his arm. The 2010 devastating earthquake in Haiti is dramatically fictionalized and the overthrowing of slavery hundreds of years earlier in Haiti is attempted to be told in as true a fashion as possible. But Shorty has a secret: a flame of revenge that blazes inside him and a burning wish to find the twin sister he lost seven years ago. Author Nick Lake provides an intertwined story based on two true events.

Shorty is a child of the slums, a teenage boy who has seen enough violence to last a lifetime, and who has been inexorably drawn into the world of the gangsters who rule Site Solèy men who dole out money with one hand and death with the other. Nick Lake has written a shockingly dark novel about Haiti, sharing two perspectives on the countrys troubled history.

In the aftermath of the Haitian earthquake, a boy is trapped beneath the rubble of a ruined hospital, thirsty, terrified, and alone. In Darkness by Nick Lake () Hardcover 2.7 out of 5 stars4 ratings See all formats and editions Sorry, there was a problem loading this page. By Wednesday, tennis-ball-size hail was falling in Marion County near Ocala. In darkness, I count my blessings like Manman taught me. 20 hours ago &0183 &32 Hail that size also fell Tuesday in Mascotte and near Four Corners in Lake County, one county away from Orlando.