Description
Description
For fans of Tara M. Stringfellow's Memphis and Abi Daré's The Girl with the Louding Voice comes a stunning literary debut about one intercultural family's search for home and the power of a lifelong dream.
It is summer 1969 in the Swiss countryside, and the house on the hill is busy. In the kitchen, Mama Eva and her sisters sing along to Congolese rumba, season fish, and pound garlic in preparation for the realization of a childhood dream: the grand opening of her Senegalese restaurant. Upstairs, African American daughter-in-law Bonnie paces across the floorboards, hopelessly waiting for news from the father of her unborn child. Mansour has been gone for three months. His tour was only meant to last three weeks, but he and his band have yet to return. In Mansour's absence, the people he left behind reckon with their memories of him: Mama Eva remembers his birth along a riverbank in rural Senegal; his aunt, the first time she saw him begging in the market; his childhood friend, the day he arrived in Paris. As Bonnie's anxieties mount, she plays his melodies in her head, calmed by the ghost of his voice, and putting a plan in action to find him. Through tales that span generations and continents, these women paint Mansour's life in vivid color, and soon, both the lingering questions of their pasts and the truth of his disappearance are revealed. Epic in scope but intimate in its portraiture, They Dream in Gold is a kaleidoscopic novel exploring the diasporic hunger for belonging. Moving through the hotbeds of the African Diaspora--from colonial West Africa on the brink of revolution to Brazil during Carnival season--it is a deeply affecting ode to the people and places that shape our identities, and a powerful testament to our shared humanity.
About the Author
About the Author
Mai Sennaar is a graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. The Smithsonian Affiliate Museum of the African Diaspora, the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, and the Classical Theatre of Harlem are among the venues that have presented her plays. Her short film Wax Lovers' Playlist premiered at AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center and was an Official Selection of the Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival. She is the book writer for Carry On!, a new musical by Broadway composer Diana Wharton Sennaar and the creative director of the performing arts company MWPLive. They Dream in Gold is her first novel. She lives between Baltimore and Dakar.
Critical Reviews
Critical Reviews
"Expansive, evocative . . . Sennaar's writing is eloquent and transportive as she conjures each scene with depth and detail, whether describing a sumptuous meal or the intensifying crescendo of a song . . . A dynamic and impressive debut by a talented new novelist." --Booklist, starred review
"Wow. What a book! They Dream in Gold is a gorgeous symphony of voices and cities and art, tied together by a stunning love story and a mysterious disappearance. In luminous language, with characters who sweat, bleed and sing, Mai Sennaar has written a debut that soars and kept me turning pages long after my bedtime. What a thrill to read a new writer with this much heart and vision." --Tara Conklin, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Romantics "Playwright and director Mai Sennaar's debut novel, They Dream in Gold, crackles. Her prose is elemental, flowing like a river at times, then burning like fire, heightening the reader's senses until all five mingle into one . . . Sennaar moves swiftly back and forth across continents and generations to tell a vividly realized story of family, identity and love . . . Unreserved and confident, Sennaar's piercing narrative voice reverberates through a novel pulsing with all the intensity it takes to compose a life and make it sing." --Melissa Brown, Bookpage "Exquisitely written, They Dream in Gold is an epic and hauntingly beautiful story, each page shimmering like gold, woven by Mai Sennaar's astounding talent as a debut author whose work I look forward to reading during the years to come." --Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, internationally best-selling author of The Mountains Sing "A tender romance that spans decades, generations, and continents . . . In detailing their plight, Sennaar unveils a story about motherhood, the African diaspora, and the resilience of Black women." --TIME "A symphonic feat of wisdom and breathtaking verve, They Dream in Gold is a revelation of a novel that readers won't soon forget. Spanning continents and decades of sociopolitical changes, this wholly original, whirlwind story deftly illuminates the tensions of art and humanity with fresh language and vivid characters. Mai Sennaar is a rare, daring talent who wrings emotion and beauty from each page, each word, and leaves you thirsting for more still." --Thao Thai, author of Banyan Moon "An around-the-world adventure . . . exploring how our geographic history shapes us." --Kristyn Kusek Lewis, Real Simple ("Top Picks for Book Club & Beyond") "They Dream in Gold is one of the most beautiful debuts I've 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 "[Sennaar] weaves cultural and musical references to Senegal into what begins as a love story but extends as a tribute to both the resilience of Black women and the enduring presence of the Black diaspora." --BmoreArt "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 musician's 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 of Sweet, Soft, Plenty Rhythm "They Dream in Gold is a roving and kaleidoscopic masterpiece. Mai Sennaar writes toward all that is inexplicable, impossible, paradoxical about diasporic longing, regret, ambition, and redemption." --Elysha Chang, author of A Quitter's Paradise "Building a remarkable tapestry of lives buffeted by fate, this lyrical, tender epic explores migration, diaspora, motherhood, and ambition." --Bookseller (UK) "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, SJP Lit
Publishing Information
Publishing Information
Publisher:
Sjp Lit
Pub date:
2024-07-30
Length:
432 pages
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