An Untamed State by Roxane Gay

Genre: Literary Fiction

Rating: 4 stars

“There are three Haitis- the country Americans know and the country Haitians know, and the country I thought I knew.”

Roxane Gay’s debut novel, An Untamed State, is the story of a woman who battles between her identity as a Haitian woman in America and an American woman in Haiti. The psychological thriller chronicles thirteen days she spends with the men holding her captive. But the novel is so much more than just that. It is about being a woman amidst political turmoil. In a country torn up by hunger and disparity, it is still the women, regardless of their privilege, who suffer and sacrifice the most. Gay not only attempts to comment on the social and economic situation in Haiti through her story but also makes an impressive feminist statement.

Just outside the gates of her father’s multi-acre estate, Mirielle Duval Jameson is kidnapped while on her way to the beach with her husband and son. For thirteen days, she is held captive and tortured while her father refuses to pay the ransom in order to protect all that he has earned from greedy hands. Right from the beginning, we know that Mirielle survives the ordeal, but the real question is how much she can take before someone shows some mercy. She is punished for the crimes of her father, who returned to Haiti with pockets full and had the ability to distance himself from the suffering of those around him.

The novel suggests that in a country as torn as Haiti, being wealthy and privileged is a crime in itself, regardless of the manner in which the wealth was earned. The ease with which Sebastian Duval starts following standard protocol after his daughter is kidnapped seems to suggest that kidnappings like Mirielle’s are common, if not expected. Haiti is called the ‘kidnapping capital of the world’, after all. The half-formed political ideology that pushes the Commander, the leader of the men who kidnap her, to torture Mirielle when his dreams of getting a million dollars seem to be lost reflects the devastating state of the country. If I had one complaint with the novel, it would be that the scenes of violence and assault are brutal, sometimes to the point of seeming unnecessary.

While the word ‘beautiful’ cannot be associated with the subject of the novel, it is the only way to describe Gay’s language and writing. Through her words, she manages to evoke anger at Mirielle’s kidnappers, shock at the toughest parts and tears at the most unexpected moments. She delves into the effects such an experience has on the victim, as well as those around her. Gay addresses the conflicting emotions of family members of victims. But beyond that, the novel also takes the readers on a journey through what it is like growing up Haitian in America, falling in love and then going back to the native land.

Mirielle and Michael are flawed characters. When Mirielle says that she is a difficult person to love, she means it, but that is what makes the portrayal of both characters so realistic. Rather than being righteous people who always know the best thing to do in a situation, Gay gives us characters that make the wrong choices. They have internal battles and, at the end of the day, have to also deal with the repercussions of their decisions. This is what makes them stay with us even after turning the last page of the book.

Mirielle’s life is clearly divided into the before and the after. The mirage of her fairy tale life is shattered on the day that she is kidnapped, and then, no matter how much she wishes to, she cannot put the pieces back together. Very early on in the story, we are told of her exceptional talent for recalling almost everything that she has witnessed. In the after, this is what haunts her. She tried and failed to erase her life when she was being held captive, and then she tried and fails to forget those thirteen days after being set free. An Untamed State is a study of Mirielle Duval Jameson as a woman and her life. At the same time, it is also a study of the different versions of Haiti that exist, the one in the imagination of Americans, the one in the memories of Haitians and the reality.

I definitely could not put it down, and my ebook copy of the book was highlighted almost entirely. Every alternate sentence made me want to remember it forever.