Tan Twan Eng's Novels: The Gift of Rain, Garden of Evening Mists PDF

ASIA Tan Twan Eng Tan Twan Eng was born in Penang and lived in various places in Malaysia as a child. He studied law at the University of London and later worked as lawyer in one of Kuala Lumpur's most reputable law firms; in 2016, he was an International Writer-in-Residence at Nanyang Technologic...

ASIA Tan Twan Eng Tan Twan Eng was born in Penang and lived in various places in Malaysia as a child. He studied law at the University of London and later worked as lawyer in one of Kuala Lumpur's most reputable law firms; in 2016, he was an International Writer-in-Residence at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. Tan\'s first novel, The Gift of Rain (2007), has been translated into Italian, Spanish, Greek, Romanian, Czech and Serbian. The Garden of Evening Mists (2011), his second novel, won the Man Asian Literary Prize and Walter Scott Prize. The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng is a historical novel set in Japanese-occupied Malaya during World War II. The story follows Philip Hutton, a young Anglo-Malay man, as he reflects on his life and the choices that defined it. As a teenager, Philip forms a close bond with Endo-sensei, a Japanese man who becomes his mentor in martial arts and Zen philosophy. When the Japanese occupy Malaya, Philip\'s loyalties are tested as he faces difficult moral decisions between supporting his mentor and participating in the resistance against the Japanese. His actions lead to betrayal, guilt, and lasting consequences for those around him. The novel explores themes of identity, loyalty, betrayal, and the psychological scars of war. Set against the backdrop of colonialism and cultural conflict, it is a poignant reflection on the impact of war on personal and national histories. The book is known for its lyrical prose and its deep emotional and philosophical exploration of its characters. The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng is a historical novel set-in post-WWII Malaya, following Yun Ling, a woman scarred by her traumatic experiences as a prisoner during the Japanese occupation. After the war, she seeks healing by working with Aritomo, a former Japanese gardener, to create a garden in memory of her sister, who died during the war. As Yun Ling and Aritomo form a complex relationship, secrets from their pasts are revealed, and the garden becomes a symbol of both personal and national healing. The novel explores themes of memory, trauma, forgiveness, and the legacy of war. It delves into the psychological scars of war, the difficulty of reconciliation, and the transformative power of art and beauty. The narrative alternates between Yun Ling\'s adult life in the 1950s and flashbacks to her wartime experiences, blending personal history with the broader political context of post-colonial Malaya. Musharraf Ali Farooqi Musharraf Ali Farooqi is a critically acclaimed Pakistani author, novelist and translator. His novel \"Between Clay and Dust\" was shortlisted for The Man Asian Literary Prize 2012 and longlisted for the 2013 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature. Farooqi\'s second novel \"The Story of a Widow\" was shortlisted for the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2011, and longlisted for the 2010 IMPAC-Dublin Literary Award. His most recent children\'s fiction is the novel \"Tik-Tik, The Master of Time\" Pakistan\'s first English language novel for children. His other works for children includes the picture book \"The Cobbler\'s Holiday or Why Ants Don\'t Wear Shoes\" and the collection \"The Amazing Moustaches of Mocchhander the Iron Man and Other Stories.\" Between Clay and Dust by Musharraf Ali Farooqi is a novel set in a small town in Pakistan, focusing on two main characters: Ustad Ramzi, an aging wrestler, and Shah Jahan, a former courtesan. Both are struggling with the decline of their traditional roles in a rapidly changing society. Ustad Ramzi, once a master wrestler, faces the reality of aging and the fading significance of his sport. He is determined to pass on his legacy to a young disciple but must confront the loss of his physical strength and his place in the world. Meanwhile, Shah Jahan, a former courtesan who once commanded great respect, is now marginalized as the art of courtesanship loses its importance. The novel explores themes of honor, tradition, aging, and the passage of time, focusing on how both characters struggle to reconcile their pasts with the changing world around them. It is a meditation on legacy, memory, and the inevitable decline of both personal glory and traditional practices. Farooqi's lyrical prose paints a vivid portrait of the characters' inner lives, and the novel reflects on the tension between old customs and modernity, highlighting the resilience and dignity of the human spirit in the face of change. The Story of a Widow by Musharraf Ali Farooqi follows Samar, a young widow in Pakistan, as she grapples with grief, societal pressure, and her quest for personal freedom after the death of her husband. Living in a conservative society, Samar faces expectations from her in-laws, her own family, and society at large about how she should mourn and whether she should remarry. The novel explores her emotional journey of loss, identity, and isolation as she tries to navigate these pressures while dealing with her own conflicting desires. The story delves into themes of widowhood, gender roles, and the constraints of tradition, portraying how cultural norms affect women\'s lives and choices. Samar\'s internal struggle to reconcile personal wishes with societal demands forms the heart of the novel, which is both a personal journey and a critique of the limitations placed on women in a patriarchal society. The novel is a sensitive exploration of grief, self-discovery, and the desire for autonomy in a restrictive cultural environment. Tik-Tik, The Master of Time by Musharraf Ali Farooqi is a whimsical children's novel about Tik-Tik, a playful and curious timekeeper in a magical world where time is carefully managed by special beings. When time begins to disappear and chaos threatens the world, Tik-Tik sets out on a journey to restore balance. Along the way, he discovers that The Grand Clockmaker, a former timekeeper, is manipulating time for his own purposes. Through his adventure, Tik-Tik learns important lessons about responsibility, the balance between discipline and play, and the need to respect the natural flow of time. In the end, Tik-Tik restores time by combining his creativity with newfound wisdom, demonstrating the importance of both structure and imagination. The story explores themes of responsibility, self-discovery, and the value of time, wrapped in a fun, imaginative narrative for children. The Cobbler\'s Holiday or Why Ants Don't Wear Shoes by Musharraf Ali Farooqi is a whimsical children's story about a cobbler who becomes frustrated that ants don't wear shoes, despite walking everywhere. He embarks on a journey to understand why ants don't need shoes and learns valuable lessons along the way. Through encounters with various animals and situations, he realizes that his work as a cobbler has its own unique value, and that sometimes, problems don't need solving. The story teaches themes of appreciating one\'s work, accepting natural differences, and not overthinking problems. It's a playful and imaginative tale with a moral about purpose, creativity, and acceptance. \"The Amazing Moustaches of Mocchhander the Iron Man and Other Stories\" by Musharraf Ali Farooqi is a collection of whimsical and humorous short stories that blend fantasy, satire, and adventure. The title story features Mocchhander, a legendary hero with magical iron moustaches that give him superhuman strength. The collection explores themes of identity, appearances, and human nature through exaggerated and magical situations. Each story is filled with humor, magic, and playful characters, while also offering subtle cultural commentary. Farooqi's lighthearted writing style makes the stories entertaining for both children and adults. Jeet Thayil Jeet Thayil (born 1959 in Kerala) is an Indian poet, novelist, librettist and musician. He is best known as a poet and is the author of four collections: These Errors Are Correct (Tranquebar, 2008), English (2004, Penguin India, Rattapallax Press, New York, 2004), Apocalypso (Ark, 1997) and Gemini (Viking Penguin, 1992). His first novel, Narcopolis, (Faber & Faber, 2012), was shortlisted for the 2012 Man Booker Prize and the Hindu Literary Prize 2013 \"These Errors Are Correct\" (2008) by Jeet Thayil is a poetry collection that explores themes of identity, alienation, memory, and fragmentation. The poems are written in a fragmented, experimental style, reflecting a sense of dislocation and personal disintegration in a modern, post-colonial world. Thayil examines how errors and imperfections are part of the human experience, suggesting that mistakes and misunderstandings shape our perceptions of reality. The collection challenges traditional forms of poetry, blending personal reflection with social critique and offering a complex, introspective view of modern life. \"Narcopolis\" (2012) by Jeet Thayil is a novel set in Bombay that explores the lives of individuals caught in the drug underworld. The story centers around Rao, a drug addict, and his interactions with Dimple, a transgender sex worker and drug dealer, and Mr. Lee, a Chinese chemist involved in the illegal drug trade. The novel portrays their struggles with addiction, identity, and alienation, set against the backdrop of a decaying urban landscape. The book's non-linear, fragmented narrative reflects the chaotic lives of its characters, using surreal imagery and stream-of-consciousness to delve into the psychological and societal effects of addiction. Through its characters' personal disintegration, the novel paints a grim picture of Bombay\'s narcotic culture and urban decay. Narcopolis explores deep themes of self-destruction, identity, and alienation, offering a stark and emotional portrayal of the human condition. The novel was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and received praise for its experimental style and gripping storytelling. \"English\" (2004) by Jeet Thayil is a poetry collection that explores the role of English in post-colonial India. Thayil examines the complexities of using English as both a symbol of colonial legacy and a tool for self-expression in a modern, globalized world. The poems reflect on themes of cultural identity, alienation, and the divide between the elite who speak English and the rest of the population. Thayil delves into how language shapes personal identity and influences power dynamics in society. His experimental style challenges traditional forms of poetry, using language to reflect on its contradictions and impact on contemporary life. \"Apocalypso\" (1997) by Jeet Thayil is a poetry collection that explores themes of decay, alienation, and personal and societal collapse. The poems use apocalyptic imagery to depict a world in chaos, reflecting feelings of fragmentation, disillusionment, and the breakdown of both social structures and personal identity. Thayil critiques cultural and moral decay while exploring the psychological struggles of the individual. The collection features a dark, experimental style, with fragmented language that conveys a sense of overwhelming chaos and self-destruction. \"Gemini\" (1992) by Jeet Thayil is a poetry collection centered on themes of duality, identity, and fragmentation. The title, referring to the astrological sign, symbolizes the tension between opposing forces within the self. The poems explore the inner conflicts of the individual, feelings of alienation, and the search for meaning in a fragmented world. Thayil's experimental style and introspective tone reflect the psychological struggles and existential questions of the self, capturing the sense of personal disintegration and the complexity of modern identity. Kim Thúy Kim Thúy arrived in Canada in 1979, at the age of ten. She has worked as a seamstress, interpreter, lawyer and restaurant owner. She currently lives in Montreal where she devotes herself to writing. Her debut novel Ru won the Governor General\'s Award for French language fiction at the 2010 Governor General\'s Awards. An English edition, translated by Sheila Fischman, was published in 2012 and was a shortlisted nominee for the 2012 Scotiabank Giller Prize. Ru by Kim Thúy is a novel that tells the story of a Vietnamese woman who escapes the aftermath of the Vietnam War as a refugee and starts a new life in Canada. The book is written in lyrical, fragmented vignettes, blending personal memories with historical context. It explores themes of war, displacement, identity, and the trauma of being torn between two cultures. The title, \"Ru,\" meaning \"lullaby\" in Vietnamese, reflects the emotional complexity of remembering the past while adapting to a new life. Through the protagonist's journey, the novel examines the resilience of refugees and the search for belonging in a foreign land. Nayomi Munaweera Nayomi Munaweera's debut novel, "Island of a Thousand Mirror" won the Commonwealth Regional Prize for Asia and was short-listed for the Northern California Book Award. The New York Times Book review called the novel, incandescent. Nayomi's second novel, "What Lies Between Us" was released in February 2016 and had received accolades as one of 2016s most anticipated books. Nayomi Munaweera\'s Island of a Thousand Mirrors follows the intertwined lives of two women, Sumithra, a Tamil girl, and Leela, a Sinhalese woman, set against the backdrop of the Sri Lankan Civil War. The novel explores how the war affects them personally and politically, shaping their identities, relationships, and futures. Sumithra witnesses the destruction of her Tamil village and is forced into exile, while Leela, from a privileged Sinhalese family, also faces the country\'s political tensions and the choices that come with them. The title reflects Sri Lanka\'s complex, divided history and the different perspectives shaped by conflict. The novel examines the devastating impact of war, the trauma of displacement, and the resilience of women in a fractured society. Nayomi Munaweera's What Lies Between Us is a psychological novel centered around the complex relationship between two women, Leela and Nisha, set in contemporary Sri Lanka. The story alternates between the present and flashbacks, as Leela returns to Sri Lanka after years abroad, forced to confront a tragic and forbidden love she shared with Nisha in her youth. The novel explores themes of guilt, betrayal, shame, and redemption, focusing on the emotional and psychological consequences of past actions. It examines how love and secrets can haunt individuals, shaping their identities and futures. What Lies Between Us is a poignant exploration of the lasting impact of personal history and the dark side of relationships. NORTH AMERICA Jonathan Safran Foer Jonathan Safran Foer is the author of two bestselling, award-winning novels, "Everything Is Illuminated and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close", and a bestselling work of nonfiction, "Eating Animals". He lives in Brooklyn, New York. Everything Is Illuminatedby Jonathan Safran Foer follows Jonathan, a young Jewish-American man who travels to Ukraine to search for the woman who saved his grandfather during the Holocaust. The novel alternates between Jonathan's journey in the present and historical flashbacks about his family's wartime experiences. The story blends humor with tragedy and examines themes of memory, trauma, and identity. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Foer tells the story of Oskar Schell, a young boy whose father died in the 9/11 attacks. Oskar embarks on a quest to uncover the mystery behind a key his father left behind, believing it will help him understand his father\'s death. Both novels explore deep emotional themes like loss, grief, and the impact of traumatic events on personal identity, with a focus on how individuals search for meaning and connection in the aftermath of tragedy. Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer is a nonfiction book that explores the ethical, environmental, and health issues surrounding meat consumption. Foer reflects on his personal decision to reconsider eating animals, especially after becoming a father, and investigates the practices of factory farming, the treatment of animals, and the impact of meat production on the environment. Through a mix of personal narrative, research, and interviews, he examines the moral dilemmas of eating meat, questioning how society justifies animal cruelty for food. The book challenges readers to reconsider their food choices and the hidden costs of consuming animal products, urging them to think about the ethical, environmental, and health consequences of their diets. Sara Gruen Sara Gruen is the \#1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of five novels: "At The Water's Edge", "Ape House", "Water for Elephants", "Riding Lessons", and "Flying Changes". Her works have been translated into forty-three languages, and have sold more than ten million copies worldwide. 'Water for Elephants' was adapted into a major motion picture starring Reese Witherspoon, Robert Pattinson, and Christoph Waltz in 2011. At the Water's Edge by Sara Gruen is a historical fiction novel set during World War II. It follows Maggie, a young woman married to the privileged but emotionally distant Henderson. After Henderson's disgrace for avoiding military service, the couple relocates to Scotland, where Henderson and his friend Edwin embark on a quest to find the Loch Ness Monster. While her husband is obsessed with this mission, Maggie grows increasingly independent and begins to develop a deeper connection with the local people, especially a Scottish man named Hamish. As she navigates her strained marriage and life in a foreign land, Maggie undergoes a journey of self-discovery, uncovering secrets about her husband and finding new strength and love. The novel explores themes of love, personal growth, and the impact of war. The story centers on Isabel Duncan, an expert at the Great Ape Language Lab, which becomes targeted by animal-rights terrorists. In a "wrong place, wrong time" moment, Duncan is critically injured by a bomb intended to free the bonobos, and the lab\'s directors, shaken by the attack, sell the bonobos. Who gets them? Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen is a captivating novel set in the 1930s. It tells the story of Jacob, a young man who joins a traveling circus and falls in love with the beautiful equestrian star, Marlena, while also forming a special bond with an elephant named Rosie. Twenty years after a tragic accident destroyed her riding career, Annemarie Zimmer returns to her dying father\'s New Hampshire horse farm with her troubled teenage daughter and encounters two men who could change her life. For five months, Annemarie has struggled to make peace with her past. But if she cannot let go, the personal battles she has won and the heights she has achieved will have all been for naught. It is a time of change at Maple Brook Horse Farm, when loves must be confronted head-on and fears must be saddled and broken. Margaret Wood Canadian author Margaret Atwood has numerous critically acclaimed novels to her credit. Some of her best-selling titles are \"Oryx and Crake\" (2003), \"The Handmaid\'s Tale\" (1986), and \"The Blind Assassin\" (2000). She is best known for her feminist and dystopian political themes, and her prolific output of work spans multiple genres, including poetry, short stories, and essays. Oryx and Crake is a dystopian novel that explores a future world in which humanity has been all but wiped out by a man-made pandemic. The novel follows Snowman, as he navigates a desolate and dangerous world, haunted by memories of his childhood friend Crake and his lover, Oryx. The novel explores themes of powerless women in a patriarchal society, loss of female agency and individuality, suppression of women\'s reproductive rights, and the various means by which women resist and try to gain individuality and independence. Valeria Luiselli Award winning, translated into numerous languages, Luiselli's playful, mesmeric novels, have pushed the boundaries of distortion between the real and the imagined. Works such as "Faces In The Crowd" (2012) and "The Story Of My Teeth" (2015) have seen her cast as one of the bright lights of contemporary Mexican fiction, and her collection of non-fiction essays, "Sidewalks" (2013), demonstrates the versatility and deft touch of an interesting new literary talent.  A horror-thriller centered on a woman living with \"face-blindness\" after surviving a serial killer\'s attack. As she lives with her condition, one in which facial features change each time she loses sight of them, the killer closes in. The protagonist is Gustavo "Highway" Sánchez Sánchez, an antiques collector and auctioneer. Although he sometimes buys expensive and rare items, he also collects ordinary things and makes up stories about them to increase their value. Highway freely admits that he exaggerates, because it is part of his trade. He wouldn't sell things if he didn't make them as attractive as possible. Other traders dupe him, too---he's only doing what everyone else does.\ \ Highway's specialty is teeth. He recently bought teeth allegedly belonging to Marilyn Monroe. He doesn't know if this is true or not, and he doesn't care. Instead of selling the teeth to make a profit, he gets a dentist to implant them into his mouth. He then tells everyone he meets about his infamous teeth. *idewalks* is about wandering and spaces and cities and being in the world. These essays take place all around the world---Mexico City, Venice, New York--- and have a way of capturing the uniqueness of each city through small details and a beautiful sense of movement and curiosity. As much as Luiselli seems perfectly at home in the world of words and language, she also seems to be a natural-born explorer, someone who feels a deep need to investigate and examine the world around her. Carmen Boullosa Poet, playwright, and novelist, Carmen Boullosa's thoughtful and eclectic works such as "Leaving Tabasco" (2001), and "Texas: The Great Theft" (2014), have cemented the reputation of a writer considered to be reaching the height of her powers. Weaving through a wide range of topics, and eras, Boullosa's imaginative power and craft have allowed her to jump from one project to another, without being typecast or pigeon holed. The novel's central character is a woman who leaves her hometown in Tabasco, Mexico, and moves to the United States. Through her experiences, the book delves into the emotional, cultural, and physical challenges of migration. It touches on issues such as displacement, longing for home, and the complexities of balancing the past with the future. Texas: The Great Theft is a novel that looks at the border region in a time when matters were still unsettled. The Mexicans are still unhappy about the way their land was stolen, both by force and by legal tricks, while the Americans are in a constant state of unease, aware that they\'re living life on the edge. EUROPE Ian McEwan British writer Ian McEwan started winning literary awards with his first book, a collection of short stories, \"First Love, Last Rites\" (1976) and never stopped. \"Atonement\" (2001), a family drama focused on repentance, won several awards and was made into a movie directed by Joe Wright (2007). \"Saturday\" (2005) won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. His work often focuses on closely observed personal lives in a politically fraught world. It is an account of some acting couples who simulate sex, only to be interrupted by a couple who are having sex for real. \"First Love, Last Rites\" the title story tells the tale of a narrator and his teenage lover, Sissel, who enjoy a long summer of love making. David Mitchell English novelist, is known for his frequent use of intricate and complex experimental structure in his work. In his first novel, \"Ghostwritten\" (1999), he uses nine narrators to tell the story, and 2004\'s \"Cloud Atlas\" is a novel comprising six interconnected stories. Mitchell won the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize for \"Ghostwritten,\" was shortlisted for the Booker Prize for \"number9dream\" (2001), and was on the Booker longlist for \"The Bone Clocks\" (2014). Zadie Smith Literary critic James Wood coined the term \"hysterical realism\" in 2000 to describe Zadie Smith\'s hugely successful debut novel, \"White Teeth,\" which Smith agreed was a \"painfully accurate term for the sort of overblown, manic prose to be found in novels like my own \'White Teeth.\'\" The British novelist and essayist\'s third novel, \"On Beauty,\" was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and won the 2006 Orange Prize for Fiction. Her 2012 novel \"NW\" was shortlisted for the Ondaatje Prize and the Women\'s Prize for Fiction. Her works often deal with race and the immigrant\'s postcolonial experience. Delphine de Vigan Delphine de Vigan is an award-winning French novelist. She has published several novels for adults. Her breakthrough work was the book "No et moi" (No and Me) that was awarded the Prix des Libraires (The Booksellers\' Prize) in France in 2008. In 2011, she published a novel "Rien ne s\'oppose a la nuit" (Nothing holds back the night) that deals with a family coping with their mother\'s bipolar disorder. Michel Houellebecq Michel Houellebecq (born Michel Thomas), on the French island of Réunion, is a controversial and award-winning French novelist. To admirers he is a writer in the tradition of literary provocation; to detractors he is a peddler, who writes vulgar sleazy literature to shock. His works though, particularly Atomised, have received high praise from the French literary intelligentsia, with generally positive international critical response. Having written poetry and a biography of the horror writer H. P. Lovecraft, he brought out his first novel "Extension du domaine de la lute" in 1994. "Les particules élémentaires" followed in 1998 and "Plateforme", in 2001. LATIN AMERICA Isabel Allende Isabel Allende Llona is a Chilean-American novelist. Allende, who writes in the \"magic realism\" tradition, is considered one of the first successful women novelists in Latin America. She has written novels based in part on her own experiences, often focusing on the experiences of women, weaving myth and realism together. Her best- known works include the novels "The House of the Spirits and City of the Beasts". The House of the Spirits is a captivating novel by Isabel Allende that delves into the intricacies of family, politics, and the supernatural. Set in Chile, it follows the turbulent lives of the Trueba family over several generations. It is the story of a boy (Alex) and his eccentric grandmother (Kate) travelling deep into the mysterious Amazon rainforest, further and further from civilisation, in search of \'The Beast\', a strange and ancient creature which may or may not exist. Gabriel García Márquez Gabriel García Márquez (1927 to 2014) was a Colombian writer, associated with the Magical Realism genre of narrative fiction and credited with reinvigorating Latin American writing. He won the Nobel prize for literature in 1982, for a body of work that included novels such as \"100 Years of Solitude\" and \"Love in the Time of Cholera.\" It tells the story of Florentino Ariza and Fermina Daza, two young lovers separated by circumstance. Set in a Caribbean port city against the backdrop of a cholera epidemic, the novel spans decades as Florentino patiently awaits Fermina\'s love, while she marries another man. Mario Vargas Llosa Mario Vargas Llosa is Peru\'s foremost author and the winner of the 2010 Nobel Prize in Literature. In 1994 he was awarded the Cervantes Prize, the Spanish-speaking world\'s most distinguished literary honor, and in 1995 he won the Jerusalem Prize. His many distinguished works include "The Storyteller", "The Feast of the Goat", "Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter", "He lives in London. He is National Book Critics Circle Awards winner. Patricio Pron Patricio Pron, born in 1975, is the author of seven novels and six story collections, and he also works as a translator and critic. His fiction has appeared in Granta, Zoetrope: All- Story, and The Paris Review, and he has received numerous prizes, including the Alfaguara Prize, the Juan Rulfo Prize, the Premio Literario Jaén de Novela award, and the 2008 José Manuel Lara Foundation Award for one of the five best works published in Spain that year. Rodrigo Hasbún Rodrigo Hasbún is a Bolivian novelist living and working in Houston, Texas. In 2007, he was selected by the Hay Festival as one of the best Latin American writers under the age of thirty-nine for Bogotá39, and in 2010 he was named one of Grantas Best Young Spanish-Language Novelists. He is the author of three novels, a volume of personal essays, and three collections of short stories, two of which have been made into films. AFRICA Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie grew up in Nigeria. Her work has been translated into over thirty languages and has appeared in various publications, including The New O. Henry Prize Stories, the Financial Times, and Zoetrope. She is the author of the novels "Purple Hibiscus", which won the Commonwealth Writers Prize and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award; "Half of a Yellow Sun", which won the Orange Prize and was a National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist and a New York Times Notable Book; and "Americanah", which won the National Book Critics Circle Award and was named one of The New York Times Top Ten Best Books of 2013. Purple Hibiscus is a compelling novel by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie that tells the story of a young Nigerian girl, Kambili, and her family\'s struggle in the face of oppression and abuse. It offers a powerful portrayal of the complexities of family dynamics and the quest for freedom. Half of a Yellow Sun, set in 1960s Nigeria, explores the lives of three very different characters -- Ugwu, a poor young boy who becomes the houseboy of university lecturer Odenigbo; Olanna, a beautiful and educated woman from a wealthy family, whose relationship with her twin sister Kainene, so different in many ways  Immigration. In contrast to many immigrant novels of discovering the American dream, Americanah focuses on the dehumanizing nature of the processes involved in immigrating and reveals how they encourage dishonesty. Aminatta Forna Born in Glasgow but raised in Sierra Leone, Aminatta Forna first drew attention for her memoir "The Devil That Danced on Water" (2003), an extraordinarily brave account of her family's experiences living in war-torn Sierra Leone, and in particular her father's tragic fate as a political dissident. Forna has gone on to write several novels, each of them critically acclaimed: her work "The Memory of Love" (2010) juxtaposes personal stories of love and loss within the wider context of the devastation of the Sierre Leone civil war,and was nominated for the Orange Prize for Fiction. Nadine Gordimer One of the apartheid era's most prolific writers, Nadine Gordimer's works powerfully explore social, moral, and racial issues in a South Africa under apartheid rule. Despite winning a Nobel Prize in Literature for her prodigious skills in portraying a society interwoven with racial tensions, Gordimer's most famous and controversial works were banned from South Africa for daring to speak out against the oppressive governmental structures of the time Alain Mabanckou Alain Mabanckou was born in 1966 in Congo-Brazzaville (French Congo). He currently resides in Los Angeles, where he teaches literature at UCLA, having previously spent four years at the University of Michigan. Mabanckou will be a Fellow in the Humanities Council at Princeton University in 2007-2008. One of Francophone Africa\'s most prolific contemporary writers, he is the author of six volumes of poetry and six novels. He received the Sub-Saharan Africa Literary Prize in 1999 for his first novel, "Blue-White-Red",. His most recent book is "African Psycho" Blue White Red is a novel of postcolonial Africa where young people born into poverty dream of making it big in the cities of their former colonial masters. Alain Mabanckou\'s searing commentary on the lives of Africans in France is cut with the parody of African villagers who boast of a son in the country of Digol. Gregoire Nakobomayo, a petty criminal, has decided to kill his girlfriend Germaine. He\'s planned the crime for some time, but still, the act of murder requires a bit of psychological and logistical preparation. Luckily, he has a mentor to call on, the far more accomplished serial killer Angoualima. Ben Okri Poet and novelist Ben Okri was born in 1959 in Minna, Northern Nigeria, to an Igbo mother and Urhobo father. He grew up in London before returning to Nigeria with his family in 1968. Much of his early fiction explores the political violence that he witnessed at first hand during the civil war in Nigeria. In 1991 Okri was awarded the Booker Prize for Fiction for his novel "The Famished Road" (1991). Set in a Nigerian village, this is the first in a trilogy of novels which tell the story of Azaro, a spirit child. Azaro\'s narrative is continued in "Songs of Enchantment" (1993) and "Infinite Riches" (1998).