“He thought he was buying American Joy,” Matant Jo says as she tells Fabiola the story of her dead husband, Phillip (57). Phillip purchased the house at the corner of American Street and Joy Road because he thought it symbolized “American Joy,” or the prosperity promised in the “American Dream” narrative. This false promise of “American Joy” casts a shadow over the entire novel.

When Fabiola asks Papa Legba/Bad Leg for help one night, he reveals to her through his riddles that she cannot have it all: she has to pick between “Joy” and “American.” Fabiola stands with Papa Legba at the corner of American Street and Joy Road. American Street is lined with modest houses of relative comfort, and Joy Road is empty but filled with opportunity for greater freedom—but also great sorrow. If she goes on with her life, she chooses the passive comfort of American Street, which includes hanging out with cousins, having a boyfriend like Kasim, and wearing nice clothes. If she tells the truth—if she works with the detective—she picks the uncertain future of Joy Road, in which she may not have the same guaranteed comforts, but she will be actively shaping her own life.