Once you start this book, you will not be able to put it down. “An Untamed State” is a novel of hope intermingled with fear, a book about possibilities mixed with horror and despair. It is written at a pace that will match your racing heart, and while you find yourself shocked, amazed, devastated, you also dare to hope for the best, for all involved. Edwidge Danticat, author of “Breath, Eyes, … Memory” and “The Dew Breaker”
Roxane Gay is a powerful new literary voice whose short stories and essays have already earned her an enthusiastic audience. In “An Untamed State,” she delivers an assured debut about a woman kidnapped for ransom, her captivity as her father refuses to pay and her husband fights for her release over thirteen days, and her struggle to come to terms with the ordeal in its aftermath.
Mireille Duval Jameson is living a fairy tale. The strong-willed youngest daughter of one of Haiti s richest sons, she has an adoring husband, a precocious infant son, by all appearances a perfect life. The fairy tale ends one day when Mireille is kidnapped in broad daylight by a gang of heavily armed men, in front of her father s Port au Prince estate. Held captive by a man who calls himself The Commander, Mireille waits for her father to pay her ransom. As it becomes clear her father intends to resist the kidnappers, Mireille must endure the torments of a man who resents everything she represents.
“An Untamed State” is a novel of privilege in the face of crushing poverty, and of the lawless anger that corrupt governments produce. It is the story of a willful woman attempting to find her way back to the person she once was, and of how redemption is found in the most unexpected of places. “An Untamed State” establishes Roxane Gay as a writer of prodigious, arresting talent.
From the astonishing first line to the final scene, “An Untamed State” is magical and dangerous. I could not put it down. Pay attention to Roxane Gay; she’s here to stay. Tayari Jones, author of “Silver Sparrow” and “Leaving Atlanta”
[Haiti s] better scribes, among them Edwidge Danticat, Franketienne, Madison Smartt Bell, Lyonel Trouillot, and Marie Vieux Chavet, have produced some of the best literature in the world. . . . Add to their ranks Roxane Gay, a bright and shining star. Kyle Minor, author of “In the Devil s Territory,” on “Ayiti””
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I’d gone back and forth about whether or not I wanted to read this because of the violent subject matter: A young Haitian-American mother is kidnapped and tortured for ransom during a trip back to Haiti to visit family. I ended up reading it after being convinced by a compelling review, and I’m so glad I did. Roxane Gay instantly became one of my favorite and most admired authors, and An Untamed State is one of the most powerful books I’ve had the privilege to read. It’s written in the first person, in a very powerful and unforgettable voice. The first part of the book covers the kidnap and the main character’s time in captivity, and the rest of the book deals with the aftermath: her relationship with her father, who could afford the ransom money but took his time to pay it, her relationship with her husband, who became a different person after his wife’s trauma. Not an easy book to read but the type that will stay with you for a very long time.
This was a very powerful read that seems to linger on in my head even after I finished reading it. My thoughts are all over the place so I am having a difficult time writing a review. I will say that I cannot imagine ever going through a kidnapping experience. Miri, the main character, is such a strong, resilient character and I empathized with her even though I found her to be somewhat unlikable. Oddly enough, the character I seemed to understand or relate to the most was Michael, the husband. As a woman, I would have expected to have a better understanding of Miri, but I didn’t. Some of her actions flabbergasted me.
I found the backstory of Miri and Michael to be very interesting and a welcome relief from the darkness within the main story. I also found the cultural elements within the story interesting as well. This was definitely an intense read, but a good one. I can’t help wonder about the title though. Is Gay referring to Haiti or Miri as the untamed state?
Wow. An Untamed State is the tale of an American woman of Haitian descent who is kidnapped while visiting her parents in Haiti. Mireille and her husband, Michael, along with their son, Christophe, are headed to the beach when they are surrounded by SUVs. The men in the SUVs jump out and pull Miri away and keep her captive for 13 days while demanding a ransom from her father, a successful businessman.
The story tells of Miri and Michael’s idyllic life before the kidnapping and their struggle to find their way back to some kind of normalcy after the kidnapping.
The horror Miri experiences is detailed and truly terrible. Her PTSD after the kidnapping seems very real and is so heartbreaking. Michael’s struggle to grow up and accept his wife and her trauma was interesting to read. I enjoyed reading the perspective of Michael’s parents and Miri’s sister, and how they helped Miri and Michael.
I read this book almost without stopping, it held my attention so completely.
#AnUntamedState #RoxaneGay
I needed days. Days to recover from this book. It is not a book for the faint of heart. I’m only going to say this – if you are a sexual abuse survivor, heed all the warnings.
I’m not going to waste my time on review and summary. I had to walk away, cry, bite my fist. There’s a telling sentence in this novel – it’s the women who bear the price of what men want. The protagonist bears it all, and spends the After of her novel returning from a personal hell that renders politeness and easy conversation impossible. PTSD is depicted, not in a superficial way, but in all its terrifying implications. Gay has taken the powerlessness of victimhood and womanhood and augmented it a thousand times and the point hits home. She puts on striking display the way history has victimized and decimated the island of Haiti.
It goes without saying – the prose is exceptional and I will be keeping an eye out for Gay’s other novels.
Disturbing on so many levels. Proud of Miri. Dismayed at the power of men to harm in so many ways. Unusually strong connection between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. This is a raw & beautiful book.
Captivating story.
Makes you realize how fortunate we are here in the US !
I could not put this book down. This is not a light book but the strength of the main character is inspiring!
Raw, powerful, an intimate look into human emotion
This book is so good you can’t put it down! It’s amazing what the human spirit can endure and survive if your will is strong enough!
I haven’t read anything like this before. The ending is rushed and I think the emotions of all involved are not developed very well.
I kept putting off starting this book because the reviews are so raw. Once I started, the book consumed me. I have no frame of reference to understand Miri’s ordeal, nor can I understand her strange and confrontational marriage. I don’t know how anyone could survive the savagery of her attack and the depth of the betrayal by her father…I sincerely hope the author is not writing from personal experience.