“The best book on Haiti in a very long time . . . powerful, spot on, likely the best written.” —Dany Laferrière   An astonishing novel of raw beauty about gang life, sex work, and social media in Haiti Cécé La Flamme, as she’s known by her loyal Facebook friends, captures photographs of still bodies. Figures scorched and bruised, left to the rubble of the Cité of Divine Power. When she posts an image of a corpse, Cécé’s followers skyrocket. “Nothing got more attention than a good corpse that was nice and warm or already rotting.” Just beside visions of rot and neglect, she posts pictures of her toes, gullies crisscrossing the cité, and her own lips painted blue. With every image, Cécé seeks control and wants to create a frank, intimate record of the terror in her cité.   Cécé’s world begins and ends with the cité – a slum peopled by gangs, yelping kids, grandmothers, junkies, and preachers. The very gate that encloses the cité was constructed by militant gang members. First boss Freddy, then Joël, then Jules César rule the gang that holds the cité in a chokehold. Sharp, sincere, and desperate, Cécé cleaves life for herself out of social media, sex work, and attempts at friendship with other women. When an American journalist offers to buy the rights to Cécé’s photographs, she demands double the cash. When an abusive former client dies, she wears hot pink to his funeral. Emmelie Prophète’s novel is fierce, devastating, and suggestive – a record of a woman clawing back control. "Prophète brings a deep sympathy and understanding to the lives of ordinary Haitians. This is a small book physically and only 212 pages, but it created a whole world that I will remember for a long time." — Taylor McNeil, Tufts Now "Through her online presence, Cécé wields power . . . Prophète’s book intersperses actual events into the plot and highlights calamitous real-life situations . . . poignant and powerful." —Erica Swenson Danowitz, Library Journal , starred review "The problem within Cécé is that violence begins anew each day; although the violence of the past is far gone, in each new present, there is more devastation . . . within Cécé , the entire Cité of Divine Power rages." —Ria Dhull, Spectrum Culture “A subtly thought-provoking novel of singular force . . . Prophète eschews easy answers, and Cécé stayed on my mind long after I closed the book.” —Victoria Mangan, Literary Review "Prophète’s achievement is to make the real and the virtual sides of Célia’s life equally vivid. This is a voice-driven novel, and Aidan Rooney’s terrific translation from the French conveys the heroine’s profound despair and snarky resilience. Célia is opinionated, vulnerable, mordantly funny and often overwhelmed . . . Status updates are her expressions of defiance and determination. For Célia, to post is to be." —Sam Sacks, The Wall Street Journal "Cécé is a slim book, around 200 pages, small enough to fit in your coat pocket. Yet, it's a gripping story of how brutality can be commodified in our desensitised social-media age . . . 'There are women like Cécé here,' [Emmelie tells The Telegraph ], 'audacious, full of desire to live and to change things. They give me hope. There is hope. There’s a reason I haven’t left all these years. Haiti inspires me. I owe a lot to this country.'” —Eleanor Halls, interview of Emmelie Prophète, The Telegraph "The Cité of Divine Power is brought to life with skill. Its streets blaze and vibrate, its makeshift homes are shadowy with dismay . . . Cécé is a cool, cleareyed narrator, who takes pains not to sensationalize. Sometimes her restraint makes the reader feel impertinent for drawing conclusions at all. There is always the sense that Cécé could put it better herself . . . unsparing observation is characteristic of this brave novel—a book that marvels at people who feel entitled to their tears." —Susie Boyt, The New York Times "Cécé is a modern take on an old story, survival by any means amid poverty and violence. Its portrait of both its central character and its setting is vivid and convincing . . . for [Cécé], existence itself is a victory." —Grant Rintoul, 1streading's Blog "Cécé’s story is about resilience and adaptation . . . In many ways, Cécé reflects, the Cité is a microcosm of the world, with its brutal power structures, ruthlessness, and breakdown of the law . . . In the face of a reality that resembles “quicksand,” she advocates for a defiant solipsism . . . Aidan Rooney’s translation is lively and vibrant . . . brimming with visceral detail." —Benoit Landon, Words Without Borders "Cécé is irresistible as the Boswell of the Cité and its residents: 'The unhinged (all too plentiful), the drunks, the junkies, people crippled by the last earthquake, the blind, the departed, the grieving.' Yet amid the district’s desperation, she reflects on how she 'couldn’t help thinking about the generosity that resisted the incredible violence, poverty and indifference.' Her arre