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On Black Sisters' Street

Chika Unigwe

$29.99

Paperback

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English
Vintage
15 September 2010
A tale of choices, displacement and courage, suffused with the richness of the oral story-telling tradition and set against the backdrop of the Antwerp prostitute underworld.

Four very different women have made their way from Africa to Brussels. They have come to claim for themselves the riches they believe Europe promises but when Sisi, the most enigmatic of the women, is murdered, their already fragile world is shattered.

Drawn together by tragedy, the remaining three women - Joyce, a great beauty whose life has been destroyed by war; Ama, whose dark moods manifest a past injustice; Efe, whose efforts to earn her keep are motivated by a particular zeal - slowly begin to share their stories. They are stories of terror, of displacement, of love, and of a sinister man called Dele.
By:  
Imprint:   Vintage
Country of Publication:   United Kingdom
Dimensions:   Height: 199mm,  Width: 129mm,  Spine: 18mm
Weight:   216g
ISBN:   9780099523949
ISBN 10:   0099523949
Pages:   304
Publication Date:  
Audience:   General/trade ,  ELT Advanced
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Chika Unigwe was born in Nigeria and now lives in Belgium with her husband and four children. She is an award-winning short story writer and the author of two novels, written in Dutch. On Black Sisters' Street was published by Jonathan Cape in 2009.

Reviews for On Black Sisters' Street

An important and accomplished novel that leaves a strong aftertaste. Unigwe gives voice to those who are voiceless, fleshes out the stories of those who offer themselves as meat for sale, and bestows dignity on those who are stripped off it. * Independent * This powerful book will leave you haunted -- Ali Smith On Black Sisters' Street is ultimately a story of female strength and resilience... the book draws on a rich oral story telling tradition to illuminate the West from an under-represented perspective * Aesthetica * This harrowing subject matter is handled deftly by Unigwe, with lyrical insight and splashes of dark humour, in a book that is both thought-provoking and eye-opening -- Doug Johnstone * The List * Lively and engaging...Unigwe has a good ear for idiosyncratic language...On Black Sisters' Street is a pleasure to read: fast-paced, lucidly structured and colourful -- Zoe Norridge * TLS * Gritty -- Adrian Turpin * Financial Times * Exquisitely observed and heartbreaking -- Nicola Barr * Guardian * Writing with great verve and charm, Belgium-based Unigwe describes the parameters of a half-life where dreams of big houses and plait extensions help to block out a grubby reality * Independent * Haunting story... Sometimes a novel can tell you more than any amount of documentary journalism. * The Observer * Sobering... the humiliations endured by the quartet are forcefully driven home by Unigwe. * Sunday Times *


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