Songbirds by Christy Lefteri
Synopsis
She walks unseen through our world. Cares for our children, cleans our homes. Her voice unheard. Will you listen to her story?
Nisha has crossed oceans to give her child a future. By day she cares for Petra's daughter; at night she mothers her own little girl by the light of a phone. One day, Nisha vanishes. No one cares about the disappearance of a domestic worker, except Petra, and Nisha's lover, Yiannis.
As they set out to search for her, they realise how little they knew about Nisha. What they uncover will change them both forever.
Set in her native Cyprus, Christy Lefteri has crafted a triumphant follow up to The Beekeeper of Aleppo, which illuminates the power of the human spirit, and the enduring love of a mother for her child.
Reviews
'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, author of The Henna Artist and The Secret Keeper of Jaipur
'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 that sits at the intersection of race and class.' Jodi Picoult, author of Small Great Things
About the Author
Brought up in London, Christy Lefteri is the child of Cypriot refugees. She is a lecturer in creative writing at Brunel University. Her novel, The Beekeeper of Aleppo, is an international bestseller, selling well over a million copies worldwide and published in over 40 countries... The Beekeeper of Aleppo won The Aspen Literary Prize (for an influential work of fiction that illuminates a vital contemporary issue and demonstrates the transformative power of literature on thought and culture). It was the runner up for The Dayton Literary Prize and won the Prix de l'Union Interalliée for Best Foreign novel in France.
Songbirds is her bestselling second novel.