The Cry of the Go-Away Bird

(Paperback)

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Description

A fresh and gripping debut about growing up in Zimbabwe during the recent years of violent change. Elise loves the farm that is her home. There is always tea in the silver teapot, gin and tonics are served on the veranda and her days are spent listening to stories of spirits and charms told by her nanny, Beauty. As a young white girl growing up in Zimbabwe, her life is idyllic. However, this dream-world of her childhood cannot last. As Elise gets older, her eyes are opened to the complexities of adult life, both through the arrival of her step-father, and through her growing understanding of the tensions in Zimbabwean society. As the privileged existence of the white farmers begins to crumble into anarchy and farm invasions begin, Elise is forced to confront difficult choices and the ancient unforgiving ghosts of the past.

Reviews

In her debut novel, Andrea Eames captures brilliantly the atmosphere of corroding trust that pervades the Coopers' farm...Eames is a young writer with talent, whose novel tackles matters of substance -- Aminatta Forna * Guardian *

This is a touching and assured debut... Eames is definitely one to watch

-- Lesley McDowall * Scotsman *
Eames is a fluent and engaging writer and this debut novel signals real promise for her future -- Susan Williams * Independent *
A frank and unvarnished portrait of life behind the headlines, sharpened by details from the author's own Zimbabwean girlhood -- Hephzibah Anderson * Daily Mail *
The Cry of the Go-Away Bird clearly draws on her own experience... The atmosphere is reminiscent of Doris Lessing's The Grass is Singing * BBC Radio 4 *

Author Bio

Andrea Eames was born in 1985. She was brought up in Zimbabwe, where she attended a Jewish school for six years, a Hindu school for one, a Catholic convent school for two and a half, and then the American International School in Harare for two years. She moved with her family to New Zealand when she was seventeen. Andrea has worked as a bookseller and editor and now lives in Austin, Texas with her husband. The Cry of the Go-Away Bird is her first novel.