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Foreign Soil

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( 2,358 ratings, 350 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Foreign Soil by Maxine Beneba Clarke is a compelling collection of short stories exploring themes of displacement, identity, and belonging. Each tale presents a unique perspective, delving into the lives of diverse characters who navigate cultural and social challenges in different parts of the world. Through vivid storytelling, the collection captures the universal quest for home and understanding.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this collection if you appreciate stories that delve into diverse cultural landscapes and challenge societal norms. The author weaves intricate narratives that offer powerful insights into identity, race, and belonging, making it a compelling read for those who enjoy thought-provoking, character-driven fiction.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Winner: Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Novelist 2015, Literary Fiction of the Year, Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) 2015, Debut Fiction, Indie Book Awards 2015, Victorian Premier's Unpublished Manuscript Award 2013.

Shortlisted: ABIA Matt Richell Award for New Writers 2015, UTS Glenda Adams Debut Fiction, NSW Premier's Literary Awards 2015, The Stella Prize 2015. Longlisted for the Dobbie Literary Award 2015.

Contains the brand new story "AVIATION".

"Maxine Beneba Clarke is a powerful and fearless storyteller, and this collectionβ€”written with exquisite sensitivity and yet uncompromisingβ€”will stay with you with the force of elemental truth. Clarke is the real deal, and will, if we're lucky, be an essential voice in world literature for years to come." - Dave Eggers, bestselling author of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and many more.

Foreign Soil is a collection of outstanding literary quality and promise. Clarke is a confident and highly skilled writer." - Hannah Kent, bestselling author of Burial Rites

"An assured and skilful debut" - Weekend Australian

In Melbourne's western suburbs, in a dilapidated block of flats overhanging the rattling Footscray train lines, a young black mother is working on a collection of stories. The book is called Foreign Soil.

Inside its covers, a desperate asylum seeker is pacing the hallways of Sydney's notorious Villawood detention centre, a seven-year-old Sudanese boy has found solace in a patchwork bike, an enraged black militant is on the warpath through the rebel squats of 1960s Brixton, a Mississippi housewife decides to make the ultimate sacrifice to save her son from small-town ignorance, a young woman leaves rural Jamaica in search of her destiny, and a Sydney schoolgirl loses her way.

The young mother keeps writing, the rejection letters keep arriving ...

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Foreign Soil by Maxine Beneba Clarke has drawn praise for its powerful and assured storytelling. It marks the arrival of a significant new voice in Australian literature, with Clarke's work being described as both compelling and skilful. The collection effectively challenges readers, offering a bold and thought-provoking experience.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780733637988

Publisher: Hachette Australia

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 10 January 2017

Country: Australia

Imprint: Hachette Australia

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 23.0mm

Width: 128.0mm

Height: 197.0mm

Weight: 280g

Pages: 304

About the Author

Maxine Beneba Clarke is a widely published Australian writer of Afro-Caribbean descent and the author of the poetry collections Gil Scott Heron Is on Parole and Nothing Here Needs Fixing. Maxine's short fiction, non-fiction and poetry have been published in numerous publications including Overland, The Age, Meanjin, The Saturday Paper and The Big Issue. Her critically acclaimed short fiction collection Foreign Soil (2014) won the ABIA for Literary Fiction Book of the Year 2015, the 2015 Indie Book Award for Debut Fiction, and Maxine was also named as one of the Sydney Morning Herald's Best Young Novelists for 2015, as well as being shortlisted for the Matt Richell Award for New Writing at the 2015 ABIAs and the 2015 Stella Prize. A collection of Maxine's poetry Carrying The World, her memoir The Hate Race and her first children's picture book The Patchwork Bike will be published in 2016.

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