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Sankofa

A BBC Between the Covers Book Club Pick and Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick

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Sankofa

By: Chibundu Onuzo
Narrated by: Sara Powell
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A REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB PICK
A BBC 2 BETWEEN THE COVERS BOOK CLUB PICK
SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION FUTURES PRIZE
AN AMAZON BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

'A captivating story about a mixed-race British woman who goes in search of the West African father she never knew' REESE WITHERSPOON

Anna is at a stage of her life when she's beginning to wonder who she really is. She has separated from her husband, her daughter is all grown up, and her mother - the only parent who raised her - is dead.

Searching through her mother's belongings, she finds clues about the West African father she never knew. Through reading his student diary, chronicling his involvement in radical politics in 1970s London, she discovers that he eventually became the president (some would say the dictator) of a small nation in West Africa - and he is still alive. She decides to track him down and so begins a funny, painful, fascinating journey, and an exploration of race, identity and what we pass on to our children.

'A real pleasure, it's funny, thought-provoking and holds a light up to everything from cultural differences to colonialism' STYLIST

'I LOVED Sankofa SO MUCH' MARIAN KEYES

'Slick pacing and unpredictable developments keep the reader alert right up to the novel's exhilarating ending' GUARDIAN BOOK OF THE DAY

'Onuzo's sneakily breezy, highly entertaining novel leaves the reader rethinking familiar narratives of colonisation, inheritance and liberation' NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

'A really great book, very poignant' SARA COX©2021 Chibundu Onuzo Africa African American Family Life Fatherhood Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Parenting & Families Politics & Government Relationships World
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Critic reviews

Utterly compelling ... A disarmingly moving, surprisingly hilarious and fascinating journey
I LOVED Sankofa SO MUCH. It explores identity, duality, belonging, racism, post-colonialism ... and the writing style is beguilingly cool, wry, detached
Onuzo displays astonishing imagination and versatility in this fantastic novel about a woman's search for her personal, familial and national identity, delivered with deadpan humour in captivating prose
Captivating... A beautiful book about a woman brave enough to discover her true identity
Slick pacing and unpredict able developments keep the reader alert right up to the novel's exhilarating ending
Onuzo's sneakily breezy, highly entertaining novel leaves the reader rethinking familiar narratives of colonization, inheritance and liberation
A real pleasure, it's funny, thought-provoking and holds a light up to everything from cultural differences to colonialism
I loved venturing from London to the fictional African nation of Bamana in Sankofa, a novel I found hard to put down (Maggie Shipstead)
A really great book, very poignant but also told really straight
A stirring narrative about family, our capacity to change and the need to belong
Wonderful. Poignant and powerful and so timely and the beautiful ending had me in tears, reminding me to look within as well as without for my answers
Spellbinding . . . Onuzu's spare style elegantly cuts to the core of her themes. The balancing of Anna's soul-searching with her thrilling discoveries makes for a satisfying endeavour
Unscrupulous politicians, irresponsible journalism, and the yawning gap between rich and poor feel deeply personal as Anna's journey unfolds . . . Fresh and new
A hugely compelling novel about identity and the stories we tell about ourselves
An engagingly written journey of self-discovery
Uniquely layered and lovingly written
All stars
Most relevant
This book was truly amazing. The emotional story takes you on a smooth journey full of nuance and relatable irony especially from an African perspective. I would fully recommend this listen, it was thoroughly enjoyable.

So beautiful

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I loved this story. Excellently read. I would recommend it to others . Brilliant

Great story

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Absolutely loved it. This is my cup of tea. Could not put it down

Loved it

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I loved this book, from start to finish. The characters came alive. It was interesting and beautifully written.

Wonderful weaving of a story

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A wonderful tale. I was so
Disappointed when it ended . The author plays with past, present and future, families and fictions, perception and reality and foreignness and families. It’s extremely good.

Thoroughly enjoyable, exemplary narration

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