an excellent novel, a model of restraint and quiet literary sophistication * Sunday Times *
[A] luminous debut novel… This is a book that demanded to be written… With a light touch, Faye dramatises the terrible nostalgia of having lost not only a childhood but also a whole world to war – Nadifa Mohamed * Guardian *
An evocative portrait of what it means to lose one’s freedom and innocence. Gaël Faye’s literary powers lie in his unbridled honesty and his effortless prose. He is a writer of great promise and grace – Chigozie Obioma, author of The Fishermen
Unforgettable… Gaël Faye’s talent is breathtaking; no country that can give the world a writer like him should ever be called small – Imbolo Mbue, author of Behold the Dreamers
as beautiful as it is painful… It’s easy to see why it set the French literary scene alight. This is one you won’t be abandoning in the hotel library when you leave. – Sam Baker * The Pool *
a masterpiece in bringing home the first-hand realities of war… It’s heart-wrenching and beautiful and distressingly authentic. Everyone should read it. * The Pool *
This beautiful coming-of-age novel conveys a heart-rending desire for peace and harmony. It sets forth a vision of the world that is poetic rather than political, where horror is displaced by wonder. * Le Figaro *
A magnificent book… a master-stroke of a first novel * Le Parisien *
Precise and potent…deeply affecting… The juxtaposition of everyday growing pains and the fallout from atrocities is heightened by Faye’s lovely prose, which builds a heartrending portrait of the end of childhood * Publishers Weekly *
Gaël Faye’s words are a mix of such precision, gentleness and gravitas that finishing this first novel feels like coming out of a heartrending embrace. * Le Point *

Gael Faye

Gael Faye was born in Burundi and now lives in Rwanda. His debut novel, Small Country, received thirteen literary awards, including the Prix Goncourt des Lyceens. It has been translated into forty languages and adapted for film, theatre, and graphic novel. In 2024, his second novel, Jacaranda, was awarded the Prix Renaudot and Choix Goncourt in 28 countries. An author, songwriter and hip-hop artist, he has also released several music albums, including Pili Pili sur un croissant au beurre (2013), Rythme et botanique (2017), Des fleurs (2018), Lundi mechant (2020), and Mauve Jacaranda (2022).

Sarah Ardizzone

Sarah Ardizzone is an award-winning translator of French-speaking voices. Her collaborations with Gael Faye include Small Country (Petit Pays), producing a bilingual musical performance version for the Edinburgh International Book Festival and translating lyrics for Gael’s platinum album Lundi Mechant. To research Jacaranda, she travelled across Rwanda with Gael and the creators of the bande dessinee adaptations of his novels, Marzena Sowa and Sylvain Savoia. She was named Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2022, and made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2024.

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