Breath, Eyes, Memory Summary

At just twelve years of age, Sophie Caco resides in Haiti, with her dearly loved but illiterate aunt Atie. After receiving a plane ticket and clear instructions from Sophie's mother Martine, Atie reluctantly informs Sophie she must move to live with her mother in New York. Despite the disruption caused by a riot at the airport, Sophie safely boards the plane, sharing her journey with a distraught boy whose father, a corrupt government figure, had just been killed in the tumult. Upon landing in New York, Sophie is greeted by a visibly weary Martine and introduced to her impoverished new surroundings, where Martine emphasises the importance of succeeding academically.

During a dinner at a Haitian restaurant with Martine and her wealthy boyfriend Marc, Sophie feels out of place, like a relic from her mother's past. As Sophie spends time with Martine in the lead up to starting school, she learns of her mother's disturbing past, including the tradition of virginity testing and Martine's rape as a teenager, which resulted in Sophie's conception. As years pass, Sophie falls for Joseph, her older musician neighbour, and they eventually decide to marry. Caught out late one night by a frantic Martine, Sophie is subjected to the same virginity testing her mother once endured. Her distress leads her to self-harm and fail Martine's test, resulting in Sophie being evicted. This prompts Sophie to elope with Joseph to Providence, Rhode Island.

Years later, with her daughter Brigitte in tow, Sophie travels to Haiti, having not spoken to her mother in two years. She is haunted by her past experiences and the cultural fixation on female purity. She tries to reconnect with her mother, who arrives in Dame Marie at the behest of Sophie's grandmother, Grandmè Ifé, to reconcile with Sophie. Despite a glimmer of reconciliation, Martine's past trauma resurfaces when she reveals a pregnancy as a result of her relationship with Marc. The news triggers nightmares about the rape, leaving Martine unsure of her next step. Upon Sophie's return to Joseph, she seeks therapy for her sexual phobia whilst dealing with the shocking news of her mother's suicide. Grief-stricken, Sophie attends her mother's burial in Dame Marie and finally finds a sense of liberation in her mother's death.