First published 2009
Meli Lleshi believes her sketch of her teacher's pelican-like nose triggered everything that followed. Her Albanian family lives in Kosovo as the region battles Serbian forces. When they lose their home, the Lleshis join streams of refugees fleeing the conflict. Hunger weakens them. Illness strikes family members. The journey stretches on with threats surrounding them at every turn. A church group eventually brings them to America, where they settle in a small Vermont town. The family begins rebuilding their lives in this new place. Then September 11th arrives, creating fresh obstacles for these Muslim immigrants. Despite the challenges, America has become their home. They cannot go back. They must move forward. Paterson crafts a story about a family caught between worlds, showing how ordinary people find strength when everything familiar disappears.
Genres: family-life, american-fiction, historical-fiction, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Vermont, United States
Period: Kosovo Conflict, September 11th
165 pages · Kindle Edition · Clarion Books
Content warnings: war