A Down Home Meal for These Difficult Times
by Meron Hadero
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Pub Date 1 Dec 2022 | Archive Date 1 Dec 2022
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Description
A poignant and compelling collection of short stories about those whose lives have been marked by the risk of displacement, from the winner of the AKO Caine Prize
An enterprising young man on the verge of losing his home in Addis Ababa pursues an improbable opportunity to turn his life around. A woman visiting her country of origin for the first time finds that an ordinary object opens up an unexpected, complex bridge between worlds. An intergenerational friendship forms between two refugees living in Iowa who have connections to Germany before the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Kaleidoscopic, powerful and illuminative, the stories in A Down Home Meal for These Difficult Times expand our understanding of the essential and universal need for connection and the vital refuge of home.
Advance Praise
‘Witty and wistful, complex and heartbreaking, these stories capture lives caught between cultures and continents, past and present, truth and lies. As its displaced characters seek belonging, this collection explores the challenges of connection with empathy and nuance. A thrilling debut’
BRIT BENNETT
‘Brims with lives on the margins, collisions that do not fully happen, redemptions thwarted at the last minute. Yet it is through these moments that the vastness of the modern lives of immigrants (or the "transposed") are examined and fully revealed. This style, which time and time again comes off the page as truly effortless, is what makes Hadero a new master of the form, and this collection a masterful one’
CHIGOZIE OBIOMA
‘This book heralds the arrival of a gifted, stunning writer. A Down Home Meal for These Difficult Times held me spellbound, riveted to the compelling characters that walk through these pages, all of them guided by Meron’s revelatory and generous examinations of belonging and displacement. These stories unfold with an intensifying power, each of them a testament to what’s possible when we move through this world insisting on the potential of hope and love’
MAAZA MENGISTE
‘Meron Hadero’s dazzling short stories span the diaspora, poignantly portraying characters in search of opportunity and belonging. Rich with insight, compassion and wit . . . an unforgettable debut’
VANESSA HUA
‘Debut books don’t get much stronger than this. Meron Hadero’s remarkable stories explore a diverse cast of people doing their best to find acceptance or at least stability . . . Hadero is deeply perceptive; her dialogue always rings true, and the regard she has for her characters is apparent. This isn’t just an excellent first book, it’s an excellent book, period’
Books We Love, NPR
‘Intricate and precise . . . To say that Hadero’s style is discreet would be inaccurate; these stories lull, then rip you open. A powerful, unforgettable collection’
INGRID ROJAS CONTRERAS
‘Dazzling . . . Each story has a lyrical power’
CENTER FOR FICTION
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781838858919 |
| PRICE | £14.99 (GBP) |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Katie S, Educator
Heart wrenching read.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read this book in exchange for my review.
Nicole C, Reviewer
This beautiful and educational collection of short stories focuses on the Ethiopian experience for those who stayed and those who left. Main themes: racism, corruption, injustice, rich vs. poor, hope vs. fear, migration, and belonging.
My favorites:
-The Wall (an unlikely friendship forms between a young Ethiopian immigrant and Herr Weill, a German professor who left Berlin after Kristallnacht when they meet at a potluck)
-The Street Sweep (an exploration of the relationship between a young Ethiopian boy and an American aid worker in Addis Ababa)
-A Down Home Meal for These Difficult Times (an inspirational tale of two Ethiopian-American women who open a food truck and create a sense of community)
Bookseller 173414
A Down Home Meal for These Difficult Times is a collection of short stories by new author Meron Hadero. The stories are all quite unique, written in different styles and using different voices. However, there is a truth and authenticity about the stories that imply some autobiographical basis. The stories may not have happened to the author themselves, but I feel that aspects of the stories are true to some extent. There is a lot of carefully observed reality on the pages. I hope Meron Hadero has a novel on the way, I would very much like to read it.
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