You Were Watching from the Sand (Red Hen Press), the debut publication of Haitian author Juliana Lamy, delves into the inner lives of Haitians at home and in the diaspora, exposing characters to the psychological repercussions of bizarre happenings that defy easy explanation. Undercurrents of the supernatural and ritualistic run through these short stories, which see protagonists uncovering closely guarded secrets about each other. Lamy foregrounds the palpable effects of colonialism, xenophobia, and poverty in the setting of her stories, showing how individual agency is corrupted by forces beyond one’s control.