American Street

Today’s post is on American Street by Ibi Zoboi. It is 324 pages long and is published by Balzer + Bray. The cover is white with a silhouette of a girl with flowers and colors in it. The intended reader is a young adult, interested in the immigrant experience, and some magical realism. There is foul language, mild sexuality, and violence in this novel. The story is told from the first person of the main character, Fabiola and in the chapter breaks from other characters to give the story depth. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- On the corner of American Street and Joy Road, Fabiola Toussaint thought she would finally find une belle vie- a good life. But after they leave Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Fabliola’s mother is detained by U.S. immigration, leaving Fabiola to navigate her loud American cousins, Chantal, Donna, and Princess; the grittiness of Detroit’s west side; a new school; and a surprising romance, all on her own. Just as she finds her footings in this strange new world, a dangerous proposition presents itself, and Fabiola must learn that freedom comes at a cost. Trapped at the crossroads of an impossible choice, will she pay the price for the American dream?

Review- Equal parts coming of age and the immigrant experience novel, that does succeed in both but I have conflicting thoughts about this novel. It is well written, the characters are fully realized, the magical realism is very good, and the plot moves fast. But I did not really like the book. I cannot put my finger on what I just do not like about it. Fabliola is fine as a main character, she is trying to make the best of a rough situation, she grows over the course of the book, she makes things happen. The magical realism is the best part of the novel in my opinion, I liked whenever Bad Leg would show up and give Fabliola insight or a warning. He was interesting, different from the other characters, and he did more for the plot and character growth of the other characters than anyone else. I am not sure what I wanted from this novel but it was fine, if the combination of magical realism and immigrant experience sounds interesting to you then you should give this novel a try.

I give this novel a Three out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.