Farewell, My Orange
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
“Kei’s intense and impressive debut is the story of two women who bond in their adopted country of Australia . . . An immigrant tale that readers won’t forget” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).
Winner of the Kenzaburo Oe Prize
Far from her native country of Nigeria and now living as a single mother of two, Salimah works the night shift at a supermarket in a small Australia town. She is shy and barely speaks English, but pushes herself to sign up for an ESL class offered at the local university.
At the group’s first meeting, Salimah meets Sayuri, who has come to Australia from Japan with her husband, a resident research associate at the local college. Sayuri has put her own education on hold to take care of her infant daughter, and she is plagued by worries about financial instability and her general precariousness.
When Sayuri faces a devastating loss, and one of Salimah’s boys leaves to live with his father, the two women look to one another for comfort and sustenance, as they slowly master their new language, in this “unexpectedly riveting” debut novel (Financial Times).
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Kei's intense and impressive debut is the story of two women who bond in their adopted country of Australia, discovering the power of language, friendship, and family. Anchoring the narrative is the heartbreaking struggle of Nigerian refugee Salimah, who is abandoned in a small town by her husband and, unable to speak English, enrolls in a language class and finds a job as a meat packager at a supermarket. In alternating chapters, Japanese-born Echidna, who also attends the English class, writes letters to a favorite teacher, unveiling her disappointment as a writer, new mom, and wife of an often absent husband. The women help one another through their darkest moment: the loss of a child. "When I came here, I learned to do things I couldn't do before... Even though I'm alone, I'm happy," Salimah reveals in a presentation that Echidna has helped her with. And Salimah is the mentor for Echidna who, after her baby's death, takes a job alongside Salimah. "I've had enough, of university, of study, maybe even of my family," she laments. "The only thing that I can hang onto in this country now is money." Kei adroitly intertwines these remarkable characters' dreams and determination, making for an immigrant tale that readers won't forget.
