LoveReading Says
From the pen of international bestseller The Beekeeper of Aleppo, Songbirds is a beautifully poignant story about the disappearance of a nanny and the darker sides of a migrant’s life. It is another haunting read which will break your heart.
Inspired by the real-life disappearance of domestic workers in Cyprus, Christy Lefteri (a child of Cypriot refugees) brings their story to life when Nisha, Sri Lankan nanny and maid vanishes without a trace. Her employer Petra tries to unravel the mystery with Nisha’s lover Yiannis.
Nine years ago Nisha arrived in Cyprus to find work so that she could earn money to support her daughter Kumari who she had to leave with relatives in Sri Lanka. Her relationship devoid of physical contact and via a tiny screen. She never returns. Or does she? The police don’t take her disappearance seriously and it is left to Petra to investigate. We never meet Nisha, we hear her story through the mouths of others and this mirrors her lack of voice in real life.
Yiannis is a poacher, hunting the tiny endangered songbirds migrating from Europe to Africa. Full of symbolism, the plight of the songbirds mirrors that of the refugees. The story of entrapment can’t help but pull you in, as Lefteri has crafted such a beautiful and empathetic exploration of prejudice, and the plight of migrant domestic workers. It’s a stunning novel about the need to fight for truth and justice, to enable women to reclaim their lost voices.
Deborah Maclaren
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Songbirds Synopsis
'Will break your heart and open your eyes' Heather Morris, author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz 'I've never read anything quite like Songbirds - a beautifully crafted novel.' Jodi Picoult, bestselling author of Wish You Were Here. Her courage to cross oceans. Her hope for a better life. Her love for a daughter, above all else. Not all tragedies make headlines, not every voice is heard. Nisha has crossed oceans to give her child a future. Now she spends her days caring for someone else's daughter while her own waits for her return, half a world away. For Petra, it is only natural to hire a domestic worker to keep her house clean and her family fed. Their lives have nothing in common, except the love they feel for their daughters. Then one day, Nisha vanishes. No one cares about the disappearance of a foreign domestic worker, except Petra and Nisha's secret lover, Yiannis, the only connection to her daughter back in Sri Lanka. As Petra and Yiannis desperately search for Nisha, they realise how little they knew about her. What they uncover will change them both forever. Inspired by true stories of love and loss, hope and refuge, this evocative masterpiece from the million-copy bestselling author of The Beekeeper of Aleppo, Christy Lefteri, is an illuminating story of the power of the human spirit, and the enduring love of a mother for her child, that will stay with you long after you finish reading. Praise for Christy Lefteri: 'This thought-provoking novel of love loss and redemption is thoroughly sublime.' Caroline Montague 'Lefteri is an astonishing weaver of stories.' Daljit Nagra ' . . . broke my heart and kept me turning the pages of her gorgeous novel well into the night.' Alka Joshi, NYT-bestselling author of The Henna Artist and The Secret Keeper of Jaipur 'Christy Lefteri has crafted a beautiful novel, intelligent, thoughtful, and relevant.' Benjamin Zephaniah on The Beekeeper of Aleppo ' . . . it's impossible not to be moved by Lefteri's plea for humanity and perhaps inspired too.' Observer, on The Beekeeper of Aleppo 'Courageous, proactive, haunting.' Heather Morris, on The Beekeeper of Aleppo ***DON'T MISS CHRISTY LEFTERI'S MOVING AND CAPTIVATING NEW NOVEL: THE BOOK OF FIRE, OUT NOW!***
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781838773762 |
| Publication date: |
8th July 2021 |
| Author: |
Christy Lefteri |
| Publisher: |
Manilla Press an imprint of Bonnier Books Ltd |
| Format: |
Hardback |
| Pagination: |
384 pages |
| Primary Genre |
Literary Fiction
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| Other Genres: |
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