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Bye-Bye Natalia
Michel Faber
‘Natalia picks at the frayed black lace of her dress while the photograph of her American penpal loads into the computer.’
Homage to Mount Desert Island
Mark Haworth-Booth
‘A cow was on the wrong side of the fence on Crooked Road on May 26.’
Jesus Who?
Alison Smith
‘Jesus came walking across the lawn, a grin on his face. I waved. “Hi, Jesus.”’
St Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves
Karen Russell
‘Sister Josephine tasted like sweat and freckles. She smelled easy to kill.’
The Master
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
‘The Master was a little crazy; he had spent too many years reading books overseas’
The War of the Ears
Moses Isegawa
‘It was a victory to arrive home. Ma Beeda always celebrated with a strong cup of tea.’
Gifted
Segun Afolabi
‘The boys' eyes grazed the carpet and then each other guiltily. The youngest tried not to smile with shame.’
Beethoven Was One Sixteenth Black
Nadine Gordimer
‘Once there were blacks wanting to be white. Now there are whites wanting to be black.’
The Witch’s Dog
Helon Habila
‘The old witch, Nana Mudo, lived alone with her dog on the other side of the grove.’
The Visiting Child
Karen E. Bender
‘Jane needed a stranger in the kitchen, someone to speak because she could not.’
The Great Wall
Ismail Kadare
‘What China loses by the sword it retakes by silk.’
A short story by Ismail Kadare, translated by David Bellos.
