THE COMPANY OF HEAVEN - STORIES FROM HAITI * THE SONDERBERG CASE

The Company of Heaven Stories from Haiti by Marilene Phipps-Kettlewell - I do love short stories, and these were no exception. The characters in the stories appear throughout the book from different perspectives. These stories center around the family of an eccentric judge and his home across the river from a settlement of poor people. The themes are family, the quirkiness of people, nature, different types of love and island life. Some of the stories are more short essays and choruses. The one about daughters is wonderful, and the one called the Third Eye is about loss. My favorite line from the book is "I am full with empty".
The Sonderberg Case by Elie Wiesel - Reading Elie Wiesel is easy on the surface, yet it's challenging underneath the words. I think he is the preeminent philosopher/author of our lifetime. This is the story of a critic, his father, his grandfather, his wife, a trial, a defendant, and values. Wiesel asks questions of his characters and therefore his readers....his writings are about a story but about ideas. He makes the reader think as well as read.