Available Formats
They Dream In Gold
By (Author) Diabou Mai Sennaar
Pan Macmillan
Picador
28th January 2025
8th August 2024
United Kingdom
General
Fiction
Historical romance
Narrative theme: love / relationships
Narrative theme: displacement, exile, migration
Narrative theme: sense of place
813.6
Hardback
432
Width 162mm, Height 241mm, Spine 38mm
658g
'A mouth-watering delight . . . subtle yet striking' - Sarah Jessica Parker 'One of the most beautiful debuts I've ever read - musical, magical, and full of tenderness' - Dawnie Walton, author of The Final Revival of Opal & Nev TWO DREAMERS. ONE LOVE STORY. A WORLD OF SOUND. Bonnie and Mansour are meant to be: two children abandoned by their mothers from opposite sides of the Black Atlantic, who find each other in New York in 1968 and set about making music that will change the world. Mansour's sound is unique: a fusion of Senegalese prayer songs, and the wild beats of East Coast American jazz. His voice soars and lifts, carrying away the hearts of all who hear him; carrying away Bonnie, a lost American girl with her own troubled past. As they travel together from New York to Paris, to Rio and Switzerland, Mansour's music forges connections and breaks new ground. Soon it seems as though fame and unimaginable riches are only a heartbeat away. But suddenly Mansour is missing. And Bonnie, pregnant with his child, sets out to find him. Her journey and their story will take the reader across the globe and into a world of sound, as we chart the rocky course that led to their stars colliding.
A mouthwatering delight. A reader traverses half the globe through this story, becomes a singer and a dancer and a chef; and is welcomed into a formidable community of women where love is the unshakeable glue. Subtle yet striking, They Dream in Gold is a remarkable comment on motherhood, diaspora, and ambition. -- Sarah Jessica Parker
A glorious debut . . . a richly layered account of artistic endeavour and resilience. * Guardian *
Exquisitely written, They Dream in Gold is an epic and hauntingly-beautiful story, each page shimmering like gold, woven by Mai Sennaars astounding talent as a debut author whose work I look forward to reading during the years to come. -- Nguyn Phan Que Mai, internationally best-selling author ofThe Mountains Sing
One of the most beautiful debuts Ive ever read musical, magical, and full of tenderness for the unique histories and identities entwined in love.' -- Dawnie Walton, author of The Final Revival of Opal & Nev
They Dream in Gold sends us on a journey around the world with a remarkable cast of women in search of belonging and the realization of their dreams. Sennaar tells their story with a musicians ear for rhythm and subtlety, and indeed, music and love beat strong in the heart of this powerful debut. I would follow these characters anywhere. -- Laura Warrell, author ofSweet, Soft, Plenty Rhythm
I adored this Afrobeat love story... a remarkable tapestry of lives buffeted by fate, this lyrical, tender epic explores migration, diaspora, motherhood and ambition -- The Bookseller 'Book of the Month'
They Dream in Gold is a revelation of a novel that readers won't soon forget . . . this wholly original, whirlwind story deftly illuminates the tensions of art and humanity . . . Mai Sennaar is a rare, daring talent -- Thao Thai, author of Banyan Moon
Extraordinary . . . a powerful and poignant exploration of the African diaspora and global Black identity. * The New York Times *
Mai Sennaar is a writer, playwright and filmmaker. She lives between Baltimore and Dakar, and she speaks French and Wolof. They Dream in Gold is her debut novel.