Description

WOMEN’S PRIZE LONGLISTED AUTHOR OF ‘STRANGE MUSIC’.

WINNER: SI LEEDS READER’S CHOICE AWARD 2022.

Leaving Oxford and the shocking death of her father behind, Koliwe travels to AIDS-ravaged Eswatini to take a job as an aid worker. The Southern Africa she encounters is a far cry from her father’s stories.

As she becomes enmeshed with Thandi, a local girl hiding a disturbing past, Koliwe feels increasingly split between her English identity and her rediscovered African roots.

When Thandi goes missing, Koliwe’s search for truth leads her deep into the mountains, where harsh realities of wealth, poverty, tradition and modernity, clash.

Publisher Review

‘Lying Perfectly Still is a powerful and accomplished novel. Laura Fish seamlessly transports us into a richly drawn landscape and immerses us in the complex and layered life of her protagonist Koliwe as she confronts an ugly underbelly of international aid work in the 1990s. Fish is a talented and skilful writer who deserves serious attention and a wide readership.’ – Sharon Duggal

‘So many jewels in this book, miniature specifics…Every page rings with authenticity.’ – Monique Roffey

The Sunday Times about Strange Music: ‘A gifted writer and her manipulation of language is her forte – brilliant, sensuous and shocking.’