Other Names, Other Places

By Ola Mustapha

0-3

FICTION

304 Pages, 5.5 x 8.5

Formats: Trade Paper

Trade Paper, $16.99 (US $16.99) (CA $22.99)

Publication Date: July 2024

ISBN 9781914148316

Rights: US & CA

Fairlight Books (Jul 2024)

Price:	$16.99

Overview

Mama, Baba... and Mrs Brown.

Wayward Nessie is caught between cultures: too English for her Tunisian parents, yet not 'white enough' or 'African enough' to fit in with any of the groups at school. Her father is determined to make the family 'respectable', while Mama is lost in nostalgia for the country she left behind. Even Nessie's sister Sherine, who appears to find it easiest to slip between identities, faces struggles of her own.

Then there is the charismatic Mrs Brown, who befriended her parents on their arrival in England. She soon becomes the glue holding the family together, until one day she disappears from their lives as quickly as she arrived.

Years later, struggling with patterns of self-sabotage, Nessie returns home to confront the mysteries of her childhood. Forced to re-examine everything she thought she knew, she begins to wonder: what really happened between her parents and Mrs Brown?

Reviews

'Ola Mustapha revels in the confusions and squashed experiences of growing up that most would rather forget. This is a novel of rootlessness and family secrets, which tells its truth with briskness and deftness, aiming straight at the reader’s heart' —Leila Aboulela, author, The Kindness of Enemies

"A captivating coming-of-age tale. . . . The story unfolds as a heartfelt conversation between Nesrine (also known as Nessie) and Mrs. Brown, a family friend and former neighbor from years ago. Through this conversation, Nessie recounts her entire life, immersing the reader in her evocative narrative. . . . If you enjoy slow-paced, coming-of-age stories that revolve around complex relationships, I recommend picking up Other Names, Other Places." —Wordsopedia

Author Biography

Ola Mustapha was born in London and spent part of her childhood living in Egypt, before returning to England. She studied economics and Japanese at university and then moved to Japan, where she taught English for several years. She now lives in London and works as an editor. Her short fiction has been published in literary journals including Aesthetica, Storgy and Bandit Fiction. Other Names, Other Places is her debut novel.

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