Cereus Blooms at Night: The Booker-Longlisted Queer Classic (Paperback) - Shani Mootoo

EVERYONE THINKS MALA IS A MURDERER

'A Caribbean classic' Monique Roffey, author of The Mermaid of Black Conch

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Everyone in Paradise thinks Mala Ramchandin is a murderer. But with no body, no evidence and no witnesses, Mala is sent to an Alms House as a madwoman instead of prison. Here she meets Tyler, the only openly queer person on the island of Lantanacamara with whom she feels an affinity as an outsider. Despite Mala's muteness, she manages to communicate with Tyler about her missing sister, Asha.

This is Mala's story, and an appeal to find Asha, told in Tyler's words. He dives deeply into Mala's family history, uncovering years of trauma passed down through generations and - staggeringly, beautifully - the love that has survived through it all.

With an introduction by Ingrid Persaud.

'Visceral, sensual and heartbreakingly tender' Ayanna Lloyd Banwo, author of When We Were Birds
'A story of magical power' Alice Munro, author of Dear Life
'Will remind many readers of Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things' Kirkus
'Clearly ahead of its time' Bookseller

FINALIST FOR THE GILLER PRIZE
FINALIST FOR THE ETHEL WILSON FICTION PRIZE
LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE

About the Author

Shani Mootoo was born in Ireland and grew up in Trinidad. Her debut novel Cereus Blooms at Night was a finalist for the Giller Prize and the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize, as well as being a text studied in universities across the world. She is the author of several other works, the most recent of which Polar Vortex, was also a finalist for the Giller Prize. A filmmaker and visual artist, she has written and directed several videos; her paintings and photo-based works are exhibited internationally. She lives in Toronto, Canada.