This wide-ranging historical novel centers around motherhood in 1970s and 1980s Sudan, ending when Omar al-Bashir seizes power in 1989.

It begins in what is now South Sudan, where the titular Edo barricades herself inside her home. She refuses to believe another of her infants has died, forcing milk into the dead baby’s mouth. Edo’s souls and stories are passed onto her only surviving child, Lucy, who later must flee to the north during the civil conflict. The novel explores different types of motherhood, and is embroidered with Gaitano’s gift for observing small moments in people’s lives.

Approximate number of pages: 260 p.

Foreign rights: contact the author‘s agent