By the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature 2021

A searing tale of a young woman discovering her troubled family history and cultural past

Dottie Badoura Fatma Balfour finds solace amidst the squalor of her childhood by spinning warm tales of affection about her beautiful names. But she knows nothing of their origins, and little of her family history - or the abuse her ancestors suffered as they made their home in Britain.

At seventeen, she takes on the burden of responsibility for her bro...

An astounding meditation on family, self and the meaning of home by the Booker-shortlisted author of Desertion