The Book Of Echoes
The ‘powerfully redemptive’ debut of love and hope rippling across generations
by Rosanna Amaka
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Pub Date 27 Feb 2020 | Archive Date 17 Mar 2020
Random House UK, Transworld Publishers | Doubleday
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Description
A sweeping, uplifting story of how a boy from Brixton and a girl from Lagos escape their dark past to find themselves a bright future.
1981: England looks forward to a new decade. But on the streets of Brixton, it’s hard to hold onto your dreams, especially if you are a young black man. Racial tensions rumble, and now Michael Watson might land in jail for a crime he did not commit.
Thousands of miles away, village girl Ngozi abandons her orange stall for the chance to work as a maid. Alone in a big city, Ngozi’s fortunes turn dark and soon both her heart and hopes are shattered.
From dusty roads to gritty pavements, Ngozi and Michael’s journey towards a better life is strewn with heartache and injustice.
When they finally collide, their lives will be transformed for ever.
With irresistible joy and grace, Rosanna Amaka writes of people moving between worlds, and asks how we can heal and help each other.
Humming with beauty and horror, tragedy and triumph, THE BOOK OF ECHOES is a powerful debut from an authentic new voice in British fiction.
Praise for The Book of Echoes
'A searing, rhapsodic novel. The Book of Echoes is filled with beauty, devastation and the power of ancestral connections that ripple through the ages' - IRENOSEN OKOJIE
'So bewitching I almost felt like I time-travelled back into Brixton 1981. A gorgeous book – totally recommended.' - ALEX WHEATLE
About the Author
ROSANNA AMAKA was born to African and Caribbean parents. She began writing THE BOOK OF ECHOES twenty years ago to give voice to the Brixton community in which she grew up. Her community was fast disappearing – as a result of gentrification, emigration back to the Caribbean and Africa, or simply with the passing away of the older generation.
Its depiction of unimaginable pain redeemed by love and hope was also inspired by a wish to understand the impact of history on present-day lives.
Rosanna Amaka lives in South London. This is her first novel.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9780857526717 |
| PRICE | £12.99 (GBP) |
| PAGES | 384 |
Featured Reviews
Heather B, Reviewer
Thoroughly enjoyed this debut novel although some of the subjects touched on could be upsetting. Amaka weaves threads of stories over generations and continents with ease and polish. We get to know Michael and Ngozi, from different countries, both with their own troubles and difficulties but both determined to better themselves, little knowing they have more in common than they know and watched over by the 'echo'. Will certainly look out for this author in the future.
Julie H, Reviewer
Beautifully written and thought provoking. This book feels honest and raw in places. The emotional pain of Michael and Ngozi is so well written about. The narrator tells us a lot about her life and how events are still felt now. This story is definitely aptly named.
Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.
Emma G, Reviewer
An exquisitely beautiful piece of writing. I thoroughly enjoyed this thought provoking and often heart breaking tale of slavery and it's horrendously damaging impact on future generations. All of the characters are well developed and all play an equally important role. This is definitely one of those books that will stay with me for a very long time.
Jen B, Reviewer
The Book of Echoes is a powerful, thought-provoking novel about the echoes of the past, exploring how the history of the slave trade continues to ripple through contemporary black experience.
Narrated by the ghost of an African slave woman, and told through the dual perspectives of Nigerian Ngozi and Londoner Michael, The Book of Echoes is an ambitious piece of storytelling, and for the most part it's a success. The interwoven narratives allow Amaka to explore the effects of diaspora through Ngozi and Michael's contrasting, vividly imagined experiences, whilst drawing haunting parallels between the two. Journeying through heartbreak, lucky chances and brutal injustices, I found both storylines completely captivating.
I think that's why I was so disappointed by the ending. After some organic and honest storytelling, it's painfully predictable. To tie up this epic narrative with such a clumsy cliché really detracted from the emotional impact.
That said, I suppose I only felt so betrayed because I had enjoyed the book so much up until that point. The Book of Echoes is a force to be reckoned with, and an impressive debut.
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