Category: Immigrant story

The Mercy Step – Marcia Hutchison

READ FOR WOMEN’S PRIZE The Mercy Step follows Mercy, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants growing up in Bradford in the 1960s. The seventh daughter in a large family, she spends much of her childhood navigating a crowded home, a deeply religious community and a… Continue Reading “The Mercy Step – Marcia Hutchison”

Before The Winter Ends – Khadro Mohamed

READ FOR NZ BOOK AWARDS Set during a cold Wellington winter, Before The Winter Ends explores the immigrant experience via Omar, a teen whose grades are slipping and is losing connection with his best friend, and his mother who recalls her life two decades… Continue Reading “Before The Winter Ends – Khadro Mohamed”

The Loneliness of Sonia & Sunny – Kiran Desai

READ FOR BOOKERTHON The Loneliness of Sonia & Sunny follows two immigrants navigating the quiet ache of isolation in a globalised world. Sonia and Sunny are writers in America, out of tune with their partners and confessing to loneliness and homesickness for their native… Continue Reading “The Loneliness of Sonia & Sunny – Kiran Desai”

Flashlight – Susan Choi

READ FOR BOOKERTHON One summer night, a man disappears while walking with his daughter on a Japanese beach. Born Korean, Serk has a complicated relationship with his past. His daughter and American wife become disorientated, facing the challenges of ordinary life all the while… Continue Reading “Flashlight – Susan Choi”

Flesh – David Szalay

READ FOR BOOKERTHON The story of István, a Hungarian teen who lives with his mother and is subjected to a traumatic event. From there we bear witness to a collection of intimate moments set over years, chronicling the demands of life for an everyday… Continue Reading “Flesh – David Szalay”

Before The Queen Falls Asleep – Huzama Habayeb

READ FOR BOOKCLUBChaired by Sally Born a girl to parents who expected a boy, Jihad grows up treated like the eldest son, wearing boy’s clothing and sharing the burden of head of the household with her father. Now middle-aged, each night Jihad tells her… Continue Reading “Before The Queen Falls Asleep – Huzama Habayeb”

Good Girl – Aria Aber

READ FOR WOMEN’S PRIZEA coming of age about Nila, a girl born in Berlin to Afghan immigrants. For Nila there is a constant negotiation between her inherited grief and her desire to belong in a culture that doesn’t reflect her. As a result she… Continue Reading “Good Girl – Aria Aber”

The Persians – Sanam Mahloudji

READ FOR WOMEN’S PRIZE The story of an Iranian family, some of whom flee to the US during times of conflict, and some who stay. Five women from three generations of the Valiat family narrate their past and present as members of the Iranian… Continue Reading “The Persians – Sanam Mahloudji”

The Mires – Tina Makereti

READ FOR NZ BOOK AWARDS Three neighbouring families in a small New Zealand town become acquaintances, some get along, others are suspicious of each other. Some share an attraction, another has a strange gift for premonition and another is acting cagey and has secrets… Continue Reading “The Mires – Tina Makereti”

Amma – Saraid de Silva

READ FOR NZ BOOK AWARDS The migrant story of three generations of women in a Sri Lankan family. Josephina, who grew up in 1950s Singapore and her daughter Sithara who move from Colombo to Invercargill, and granddaughter Annie who moves between many cities looking… Continue Reading “Amma – Saraid de Silva”