Paper Sparrows

Layla, a 19 year old music undergraduate, travels from London back to Lebanon for the summer holidays, only to find that her brother has gone missing.Without a second thought, she sets off to find him in Beirut. On her way, she picks up a stray dog, falls in love with Joe, another student, and sees her country through entirely new eyes. But just as she is beginning to pick up clues about where her brother might be, the so-called “July War” breaks out and turns everything on its head.

‘A beautifully written book about memory, music and the terror of modern warfare. We need these books, full of compassion and anger, that show us the emotional damage of conflict.’Patrice Lawrence, Rose Interrupted, Orangeboy

‘There’s a sensuous magic to this writing that caught me up and wouldn’t let me go. A beautifully written story about the struggle for identity.  I loved it.’
Jenny Downham, Before I Die, You Against Me, Furious Thing

It is the summer of 2006, and nineteen-year-old London music student, Layla, returns home for the holidays to a now peaceful Lebanon. When she arrives, though, she finds that her troubled younger brother has gone missing. “Borrowing” her father’s car, she heads to Beirut to search for him, meeting a variety of people along the way. But her quest is cut short when, without warning, Beirut comes under heavy artillery fire. A new war has begun, and now she is trapped in the middle of it.

Praise for Nathalie’s writing:

‘Captivating. A subtle, pertinent depiction of civilian life in the midst of bewildering conflict.’ Catherine Taylor, The Guardian.

‘Beautifully written, lyrical, with vivid, sensual descriptions that are sophisticated yet completely believable.’ Publishers Weekly.

‘A timely evocation of civilian suffering underneath the ubiquities of war…Heart-breaking and profound.’ Sunday Business Post.

‘A moving insight into brutal conflict.’ Financial Times.

‘Unnervingly real and gripping. Abi-Ezzi skilfully introduces the reader to a life in fear of bombs and stray bullets, as well as how new hope can be born from affliction.’ Socialist Review.

‘A Girl Made of Dust is one of those books you can’t help but think about long after you finish. A truly remarkable story.’ Patricia Wood, author of Lottery.