CAMILLA GIBB

From award-winning and bestselling author Camilla Gibb comes a richly imagined narrative of one woman's search for love and belonging cast against a nuanced portrait of political upheaval. In the racially charged world of Thatcher's London, Lilly, a young, white, Muslim nurse, struggles in a state of invisible exile. As Ethiopian refugees gradually begin to fill the flats of the housing estate where she lives, she begins to share her longing for a home in that distant land and her heartbreaking search for her missing lover, Aziz. Gibb takes us on a journey back to Haile Selassie's Ethiopia, and tells the remarkable story of Lilly's discovery of an unexpected place for herself within the walls of the ancient city of Harar, a revered centre of Islam, unique in its language, customs and beliefs. As her roots in the place deepen so too does her clandestine relationship with the young Dr. Aziz. But Ethiopia is veering toward revolution, and hope for a future with Aziz is dramatically threatened when the country is thrown into political turmoil. A psychologically complex and utterly convincing story, alive with political insight and sensuous detail, Sweetness in the Belly is a mesmerizing work from one of Canada's most distinctive and exciting voices.

A richly imagined tale of one womans search for love and belonging. In Thatchers London, Lilly, a white Muslim nurse, struggles in a state of invisible exile.

In The Petty Details for So-and-so's Life, Camilla Gibb tells the unusual story of two siblings, Emma and Blue, who, despite an almost telepathic connection, respond to the disruptions of their childhood and the sudden disappearance of their explosive father in remarkably different ways. In her father's absence, Emma travels vast distances, both internal and external, in pursuit of a new family, and discovers a sense of belonging in the most unexpected of places. While Blue, her burly, tattoo-stamped brother, haunted by the brutal, criticizing voice of their father, sets off on a cross-country search for their elusive parent. In the novel's powerful conclusion, brother and sister find value in each other's quest, reconciled to the fact that one can love without ever truly understanding the other.

Thelma ya ha cumplido seis años. Sus padres no se llevan bien. Papá le propone unos juegos perversos, nada divertidos. Y mamá sólo tiene ojos para su hermano, el preferido de la casa. En esa realidad que le ha tocado vivir, su exuberante imaginacion, capaz de crear un universo particular de personajes fantasticos, es la unica arma que le queda en su camino hacia su madurez.

A richly imagined tale of one womans search for love and belonging.In Thatchers London, Lilly, a white Muslim nurse, struggles in a state of invisible exile. As Ethiopian refugees gradually fill the flats of the housing estate where she lives, Lilly tentatively begins to share with them her longing for the home she herself once had in Africa and her heartbreaking search for her missing lover. Back in Haile Selassies Ethiopia, the young Lilly, born in the 1950s to British parents, now orphaned and full of religious conviction, finds herself living in the city of Harar. She is drawn to the idealistic young doctor, Aziz, himself an outsider in the community. But then convulsions of a new revolutionary order separate them, sending Lilly to an England she has never seen, while Aziz disappears.

Thelma is six years old. Life at home is unsettling and disturbing; her fathers games are not enjoyable and her mother dotes on Willy, the favoured child. When her parents move to Canada, Thelma smuggles her imaginary friends with her in her suitcase. By turns harrowing and wonderfully funny, Mouthing the Words tells Thelmas story of sexual abuse, anorexia, borderline multiple personality disorder and her return to England. Reminiscent of Jeanette Winterson and Sylvia Plath, Mouthing the Words is a remarkable and inspiring fiction debut.

The Beauty of Humanity Movement is a keenly observed and skillfully wrought novel about the reverberation of conflict through generations, the enduring legacy of art, and the redemption, and renewal, of long-lost love.Tu is a young tour guide working in Hanoi. As he leads bands of Westerners on war tours through the scarred landscape of Vietnam, he wonders what it is that his clients see - and what they miss entirely. Maggie is Vietnamese by birth but has lived most her life in the U.S. Returning to her homeland, she sifts through history for clues as to the fate of her dissident father. Witness to both their stories, Old Man Hung has lived through decades of political upheaval. But Hung has found a way to provide hope in his waterside community: The Beauty of Humanity Movement.

The acclaimed author of Sweetness in the Belly journeys to Vietnam in this rich and tantalizing new novel.Raised in the United States but Vietnamese by birth, Maggie has come to Hanoi seeking clues to the fate of her father, a dissident artist who disappeared during the war. Her search brings her to Old Man Hungs pho stall. The old man once had a shop frequented by revolutionary artists, but now Tu, a hustling young entrepreneur, is his most faithful customer. Maggie, Hung, and Tu come together during a highly charged season that will mark them forever. Exploring the indelible legacies of war and art, as well as loves power to renew, The Beauty of Humanity Movement is a stellar achievement by a globally renowned literary light.

A Globe and Mail Best BookTu is a young tour guide working in Hanoi for a company called New Dawn. While he leads tourists through the city, including American vets on "war tours," he starts to wonder what it is they are seeing of Vietnamand what they miss entirely. Maggie, who is Vietnamese by birth but has lived most her life in the U.S., has returned to her country of origin in search of clues to her dissident fathers disappearance during the war. Holding the story together is Old Man Hung, who has lived through decades of political upheaval and has still found a way to feed hope to his community of pondside dwellers.This is a keenly observed and skillfully wrought novel about the reverberation of conflict through generations, the enduring legacy of art, and the redemption and renewal of long-lost love.