The book
Finalist for the 2023 French-American Foundation Translation Prize
WINNER OF THE PRIX ÉTHIOPHILE, THE PRIX DES RACINES ET DES MOTS, AND THE PRIX DES CINQ CONTINENTS DE LA FRANCOPHONIE
Beata Umubyeyi Mairesse’s debut novel follows three generations torn apart by the genocide against the Tutsis, as they try to reconnect with one another, rebuild broken links, and find their place in today’s world.
Blanche returns to Rwanda after building a life in Bordeaux with her husband and young son, Stokely. Reuniting with her mother Immaculata, old wounds are reopened for both mother and daughter while Stokely, caught between two countries, tries to understand where he comes from and where he belongs.
“This story tells all our stories.”—Gaël Faye, author of Small Country
The author
Beata Umubyeyi Mairesse
Beata Umubyeyi Mairesse was born in Butare, Rwanda in 1979. Surviving the Tutsi genocide, she moved to France in 1994 to study political science and work for humanitarian causes. She is now an acclaimed novelist and poet.
Press
- Mar 9 2023
“Beautiful.”
— Litro Magazine - Mar 5 2023
“Mesmerizing.”
— The Observer - Feb 17 2023
“Viscerally powerful.”
— Financial Times - Sep 8 2022
“Has the feel of a breakthrough, a transcendence.”
— The Brooklyn Rail - Aug 11 2022
“A compact, trance-like meditation.”
— PopMatters - Aug 1 2022
“Tenderly unfurls the pain of generations.”
— Booklist