River Spirit

· River Spirit is a true literary page-turner, interpersonal strife, rich with interpersonal strife and underexamined history. Like Maaza Mengiste’s Booker Prize-Winning The Shadow King, Aboulela’s latest tells an unputdownable story of war, European colonialism in Africa, and the women who history overlooks. · An acclaimed, internationally award-winning writer, Aboulela was the first recipient of the Caine Prize for African Writing, winner of the Saltire Fiction Prize, the Scottish Book Award, and finalist for the Commonwealth Prize and the MacMillan Silver PEN award. · Aboulela has been called “one of the best known Sudanese writers working today” (Guardian) for her distinctive exploration of identity, migration and Islamic spirituality. This exploration of identity and faith is central to River Spirit, reframed in the account of a fascinating period of Sudanese history not yet tackled in Aboulela’s oeuvre. · The Translator, Minaret, and Lyrics Alley were all longlisted for the Orange Prize (now the Women‘s Prize for Fiction.) The Translator was a New York Times 100 Notable Book. · Aboulela’s novels are widely and well reviewed: “all the pleasures we’ve come to expect from Aboulela…psychological acuity, rich characterization, intricate emotional plotting” (Washington Post, on Bird Summons), are bedrock in River Spirit. We anticipate wide coverage for this new novel. · Aboulela has many fans among her fellow authors, including J.M. Coetzee, Ali Smith, Aminatta Forna, Ben Okri, and Anthony Marra. · In 2014, Aboulela was profiled by The New York Times, discussing her unique role as a Sudanese-British writer. · A house author, Grove has published all of Aboulela’s books since 2005. · Her work has been included in cultural educational programs supported by the British Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities in the US. · Her books have been translated into fifteen languages.