WINNER OF THE SCOTIABANK GILLER PRIZE

‘Spellbinding’ i
‘Breathtaking’ Elle
‘Powerhouses of feeling and depth’ Mary Gaitskill
‘Sharp and vital’ Daisy Johnson
'Excellent' Margaret Atwood on Twitter

An ex-boxer turned nail salon worker falls for a pair of immaculate hands; a mother and daughter harvest earthworms in the middle of the night; a country music-obsessed housewife abandons her family for fantasy; and a young girl's love for her father transcends language.

In this stunning debut, Souvankham Thammavongsa captures the day-to-day lives of immigrants and refugees in a nameless city, illuminating hopes, disappointments, love affairs, and above all, the pursuit of a place to belong.

'There is not a moment off in these affecting stories' Sheila Heti