A Sun to be Sewn (Other Press), by Jean D’Amérique, translated from the French by Thierry Kehou, balances both extreme violence and concentrated tenderness in one young girl’s coming of age. Set in the slums of Port-au-Prince, D’Amérique’s debut novel charts a course of personal growth despite often-horrific odds that frequently feels Shakespearean, yet is mired convincingly in a Haitian psychological awareness. The world of the novel is beset with terror, yet open to love and redemption. A prolific poet and playwright, the author has won the Prix de Poésie de la Vocation (2017) and the Apollinaire Discovery Prize (2021).