We Are All That's LeftTwo lives. Two worlds apart. One deeply compelling story set in both Bosnia and the United States, spanning decades and generations, about the brutality of war and the trauma of everyday life after war, about hope and the ties that bind us together. Zara and her mother, Nadja, have a strained relationship. Nadja just doesn't understand Zara's creative passion for, and self-expression through, photography. And Zara doesn't know how to reach beyond their differences and connect to a closed-off mother who refuses to speak about her past in Bosnia. But when a bomb explodes as they're shopping in their local farmers' market in Rhode Island, Zara is left with PTSD--and her mother is left in a coma. Without the opportunity to get to know her mother, Zara is left with questions--not just about her mother, but about faith, religion, history, and her own path forward. As Zara tries to sort through her confusion, she meets Joseph, whose grandmother is also in the hospital, and whose exploration of religion and philosophy offer comfort and insight into Zara's own line of thinking. Told in chapters that alternate between Zara's present-day Providence, RI, and Nadja's own childhood in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Bosnian War of the 1990s, We Are All That's Left shows the ways in which, no matter the time and place, struggle and tragedy can give way to connection, healing and love. Praise for We Are All That's Left: * "A multilayered view of tragedy and its repercussions." --Publishers Weekly, *STARRED REVIEW* * "This complex, compelling story takes readers on a deep dive below the surface, exposing both the fragility of life and the redemptive bonds of love." --Booklist, *STARRED REVIEW* "This important and timely novel is a painful, lovely exploration of mending a mother-daughter relationship." --Kirkus Reviews |
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Common terms and phrases
Amir Audrey says Aunt Evelyn Banja Luka Baščaršija Benjamin Benny body bombing Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnian Bosnian War breath camera Četnik ćevapi cheek Christine close coffee couple crying Dad says Dad's Dalila dark door Drina everything eyes face Faris farmers market father feel fingers front girl Goražde grab Gramma hair Haiti Haitian Creole hand happened head hospital inside Joseph kissed laugh leave legs look Marko Mom's mother Muslim Nadja Natasha never nods okay photographer picture play prayer beads pulled Ramadan Ramiza remember Sarajevo Serbia Serbs shoulder side Singh smell smiles someone sorry stand stare stop story suddenly sure talk tell Thank There's things Turkish coffee turn underneath Višegrad Vovo wait walk watch What's woman wonder Yeah Zara


