Breath, Eyes, Memory

Breath, Eyes, Memory is a novel by Haitian American author Edwidge Danticat, first published in 1994. The book is semi-autobiographical: like the protagonist, 12-year-old Sophie Caco, Danticat herself was born in Haiti but moved to the United States at a young age. She has since written several novels and short stories about Haiti, immigration, and the complex ways that one’s identity is formed by where they are from and where they now live. The novel is a bildungsroman, or coming-of-age story, following the life and development of Sophie Caco from the age of 12 in Haiti to her adulthood in the United States. It explores the themes of generational trauma, home as a construct, and motherhood as they apply to Sophie in her life as a Haitian American.

This guide uses the Second Vintage Contemporaries Edition, first published in the United States in May 1998.

Content Warning: The source material includes discussions of rape, sexual abuse, self-harm, unwanted pregnancy, abortion, and suicide.

Plot Summary

Sophie Caco is a 12-year-old girl living in Haiti with her aunt Atie, whom she largely views as her mother figure. Sophie’s own mother,

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