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Summary: Epilogue: Victoire

Epilogue: Victoire

Victoire flees. She has no idea what will happen next; history has become fluid. She reflects on her own history and how for most of her life, she did not know that she came from the first-ever Black republic. Born in Haiti in 1820, Victoire left her country for France when her mother, a servant, was forced to flee with an exiled queen. There, the French and her mother spoke of Haiti only in terms of violence and barbarity, so that is how Victoire came to see her homeland. She and her mother went to work for Professor Emile Desjardins. An illness killed Victoire's mother and Emile, and Victoire became the family's slave. They constantly reminded her how lucky she was to have escaped such an uncivilized country. Victoire was so sheltered from the world that for years, she didn't know that she was legally entitled to be free.

One day, she learned about Babel from Emile's old papers. She wrote to Emile's friend and was eventually accepted to the University. Victoire essentially manufactured her own liberation. However, true liberation did not come until she met Anthony, from whom she learned to call herself Haitian and take pride in her native Kreyól. She unlearned the toxic idea that the Haitian Revolution was a failure, learning instead that it was a symbol of hope in many corners of the world. Now, she reflects that revolution “shatters the world you know.”

Victoire does not know where she is headed. She knows of a Hermes base in Ireland and has names of remaining Hermes contacts from Griffin's letter to Robin. One day, perhaps she will return home, but for now, she boards a ship to America. She tries not to think of her dead friends, nor of Letty, who she knows would stop at nothing to find her if she knew Victoire was alive; Victoire will always be proof that Letty is wrong. Victoire pushes forward bravely, refusing to dwell on the past or give in to the alluring pull of death. 

Read more about Victoire’s character development throughout the novel.

She reflects on the idea of victory, which she knows now needs to be spurred on by violence and martyrs and sacrifice. She does not yet know what shape the struggle for justice will take on next. After all, there are innumerable battles to be fought and won. But she knows that she will be there, fighting with every fiber of her being until her final breath.

Read more about Victoire’s understanding of the nature of victory.

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