“Happiness” by Aminatta Forna (UK – London) Synopsis Waterloo Bridge, London. Two strangers collide. Attila, a Ghanaian psychiatrist, and Jean, an American studying the habits of urban foxes. From this chance encounter in the midst of the rush of a great city, numerous moments of connections span out and interweave, bringing disparate lives together. In this delicate yet powerful novel of loves lost and new, … Continue reading Happiness
“Beyond the Door of No Return” by David Diop (Senegal) Synopsis Paris, 1806. The renowned botanist Michel Adanson is dying. His last word is a woman’s name: Maram. But who was she? Searching for the answer, Adanson’s daughter discovers a journal of his youthful travels in Senegal, which tells a story of wild adventure and impossible desires. It reveals how he heard of a young … Continue reading Beyond the Door of No Return
“Claire of the Sea Light” by Edwidge Danticat (Haiti) Synopsis Claire goes missing the night her father agrees to give her up for adoption. Her mother died when she was born. In the tiny fishing town of Ville Rose, Haiti, she and her father are not the only ones to have experienced loss. As the poor townspeople search by moonlight for the seven-year-old girl, each … Continue reading Claire of the Sea Light
“A Long Petal of the Sea” by Isabel Allende (Chile) Synopsis Victor Dalmau is a young doctor when he is caught up in the Spanish Civil War, a tragedy that leaves his life – and the fate of his country – forever changed. Together with his sister-in-law, the pianist Roser, he is forced out of his beloved Barcelona and into exile. When opportunity to seek … Continue reading A Long Petal of the Sea
“Happiness™” by Will Ferguson (Canada) Synopsis When one of those irritating self-help books actually gets it right, then unnatural and worrying times are just around the corner… While the rest of the country is joining the new Happiness™ cult, Edwin (the wiry, grey-suited, low-level editor at US publisher Panderic Press) is in trouble. A cartel of drug, alcohol, tobacco and drug-rehab bosses have a contract … Continue reading Happiness TM
Nicola's Book Club 