First published 2024
Mamush gave up journalism for love in Paris, where he married Hannah, a photographer who showed him new ways to see the world. Five years later, their marriage crumbles. He flies back to Washington DC and the tight Ethiopian immigrant community where he grew up. His mother still lives there, along with Samuel, the charismatic man who helped raise him. Mamush arrives to shocking news: Samuel is dead, found in his garage under mysterious circumstances. With Hannah and their two year old son still in Paris, Mamush travels across America seeking answers about Samuel's life and death. The journey forces him to ask questions his community always forbade. He must dig into his own buried memories and confront the truths he has spent years avoiding. Only by facing Samuel's secrets and his own painful past can Mamush hope to save his failing marriage and find his way back to his family.
Genres: literary-fiction, african-american, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, second-chance
Setting: Paris, Washington DC, Ethiopia
Period: 21st-century
272 pages · Hardcover · Knopf