The History of a Difficult Child

byMihret Sibhat, Waceke Wambaa (Read by)

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'Extraordinary... the story of a sharp-witted young girl trying to hold herself together during political upheaval, and an achingly tender tale of community, family, grief and forgiveness' Maaza Mengiste

Selam is the youngest child in her large, turbulent family. Even before she is born, her electrifying omniscience animates life in her Small Town in 1980s southwestern Ethiopia. She arrives like a flash flood; unexpected, strong-willed, roaring.

Selam and her father listen to the radio in secret as the socialist military junta seizes properties and wages civil war in the North. Meanwhile her mother, the powerful and relentlessly dignified Degitu, embraces a persecuted, Pentecostal God as she gets sicker. Once an enterprising, landowning family, now they are ostracised under the new regime, and Selam grows up seeking revenge on despotic comrades, neighbourhood bullies and a ruthless God. Wise beyond her years yet thoroughly naive, she contends with an inner fury, a profound sadness, and a throbbing, unstoppable pursuit of education, freedom, and love.

'A major new writing talent... A remarkably original voice, fresh and irreverent' Chris Abani

An extraordinary novel. At once a story of a sharp-witted young girl trying to hold herself together during political upheaval, and an achingly tender tale of community, family, grief and forgiveness

Maaza Mengiste, Booker Prize-shortlisted author of THE SHADOW KING

About Mihret Sibhat

Mihret Sibhat was born and raised in a small town in western Ethiopia before moving to California when she was seventeen. A graduate of University of Minnesota's MFA program, she was a 2019 Public Space Fellow and a 2019 Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative grantee. In a previous life, she was a waitress, a nanny, an occasional shoe shiner, a propagandist, and a terrible gospel singer. She's currently a miserable Arsenal fan.
Details
  • Imprint: Vintage Digital
  • ISBN: 9781529926057
  • Length: 821 minutes
  • Price: £14.00
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