Looking for the perfect gift for your Mum this Mothers Day in 2022? Here are our top picks:
My Country by Kassem Eid
An unforgettable memoir of growing up in Syria under al-Assad's regime, surviving a gas attack, and rallying worldwide support to break the siege of cities across the country.
Born to Palestinian refugees, Kassem Eid grew up in the small town of Moadamiya on the outskirts of the ancient city of Damascus. The streets that he and his many siblings played on were perfumed with jasmine. A precocious child, he excelled at school, and had a natural gift for languages. But it didn't take long for Kassem to realise that he was treated differently at school because of his family's resistance to the brutal government regime.
“An account of oppression, war, survival and escape as the world ignored what was going on. A touching tale, this humanises the story of war when often all we want to do is look away” – Metro, The best new books by BME authors you'll be reading this year.
The Memory Wood by Sam Lloyd
A chilling, yet emotionally moving psychological thriller
Elijah has lived in the Memory Wood for as long as he can remember. It's the only home he's ever known.
Elissa has only just arrived. And she'll do everything she can to escape.
When Elijah stumbles across thirteen-year-old Elissa, in the woods where her abductor is hiding her, he refuses to alert the police. Because in his twelve years, Elijah has never had a proper friend. And he doesn't want Elissa to leave.
Not only that, Elijah knows how this can end. After all, Elissa isn't the first girl he's found inside the Memory Wood.
The Zanzibar Wife by Deborah Rodriguez
A bewitching novel of clashing cultures and conflicting beliefs, of secrets and revelations, of mystery and magic, by the author of the international bestseller The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul.
Set both in Oman and on the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar, The Zanzibar Wife is the story of three different women, each at a turning point in her life . . .
Rachel, a troubled American war photographer who is struggling to shed the trauma of her career for a simpler, gentler life.
Ariana Khan, a bubbly British woman struggling to keep up with the glitz of Dubai and ready to give up on love.
And Miza, the second wife of Tariq, an Omani man, who remains a secret from his terrifying ‘other’ wife, Maryam. Until one day, when Tariq fails to come home . . .
As the three women journey together across the weird and wonderful land of Oman, they are forced to confront their darkest fears and their deepest wishes. Because in Oman, things aren’t always what they appear to be . . .
