Zo: A novel

"A novel about a poor Haitian laborer who falls in love with the daughter of a wealthy doctor, and their fight to stay together in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake"--
"A riveting fiction debut--a love story, told in gorgeous prose, and set on an extraordinary stage: Haiti, on the eve of the 2010 earthquake. When we first meet Zwazo Delalun--Zo--as a young orphan in a fishing village in Haiti, he already possesses every trademark of a hero: he's handsome, strong, independent, honest, courageous, and determined to make a life for himself, on his own terms. As he grows up, Zo comes to possess something else, too--an unfailing instinct for how to make a woman happy. And yet he has never been in love. Until the morning when, working under the broiling sun as a day laborer, he meets the stunning twenty-one-year-old Anaya. Instantly, fiercely, the two are attracted to each other. But Anaya's rich and powerful father wants her to marry the man he has chosen for her--a well-regarded doctor, just like himself. Zo and Anaya therefore love in secret, wherever they can, and at any hour they can find. But just as they think they have found a way to be together, an unstoppable force crosses their path: an earthquake that roils the ground beneath their feet and rips their country apart. Lost to one another, wounded, each fears the other has died. In the face of the suffering that blankets the island, Zo must risk everything to try to find the woman he loves. Impassioned and suspenseful, this luminous debut captures the sensory splendor of Haiti as it tells an unforgettable story--of love and heartbreak, forgiveness and redemption"--
A riveting, gorgeously written debut novel&;a contemporary Romeo and Juliet saga with great emotional power, set in Haiti during the 2010 earthquake and its aftermath. When we first meet Zwazo Delalun&;Zo&;he is a young orphan in a fishing village. Although he&;s been told he may be the &;poorest boy in the Western Hemisphere,&; he possesses every trademark of a hero: he's strong, honest, and courageous, and he dreams of a better life. As he grows up, Zo travels the island, working in the cane fields and almond orchards and out at sea&;but he longs for something work can&;t earn him: love. Then one morning, while hauling cement under the broiling sun, he meets Anaya, a beautiful nursing student sipping cherry juice under a tree. Their attraction is instantaneous, fierce. Anaya uses her knowledge of medicine to cure Zo of the malaria that's plagued him for months, even as she intoxicates him with a love more potent than any he could have imagined. But Anaya&;s father, a prominent doctor, cannot accept that a poor, uneducated man is destined for his daughter, and he takes measures to stop their union. Zo and Anaya nevertheless find a way to be together&;making a new home in the hills outside Port-au-Prince&;until the unthinkable happens: an earthquake roils the ground. Homes, hospitals, and churches topple; roads crack. Zo watches as the city&;where Anaya is in class&;is reduced to rubble in a searing instant. Even before the dust has settled, Zo is ready to risk his life to rescue her&;if he can only find her, and keep himself alive in the meantime. Suspenseful, heartrending, written in lyrical prose, Zo captures the sensory splendor of Haiti at a moment of historic crisis and transformation, as it tells the unforgettable story of one remarkable man&;s life and love.