Nur and Abid relearn to love after they escape from war. Marie, who keeps the women of the village from giving birth to children borne of war, finds herself in a situation she hasn’t faced before. In a London park, an ageing MI-6 official discovers that the woman he meets every day may not be what she seems. Lyndsey’s bouquets of twenty-seven tulips hold the secret of her dark past and a soldier adorns herself in jewels as she prepares for a final mission.
Spanning both decades and continents, Refuge turns its lens on those who are often overlooked in stories about war: women and children, civilians forced out of their homes in terror, those who wait for their brave soldiers to come home, and soldiers who commit unspeakable violence. this powerful collection simultaneously delves into the darkest parts of the human psyche whilst being an ode to humanity’s ability to endure, love and retain dignity and compassion.
Sunny Singh is a writer, novelist, public intellectual, and a champion for decolonisation and inclusion across all aspects of society. She is the author of three critically acclaimed novels, Hotel Arcadia, With Krishna’s Eyes, and Nani’s Book of Suicides, as well as the recent, A Bollywood State of Mind: A Journey into the World’s Biggest Cinema.
In 2017 she launched the celebrated Jhalak Prize for literature by writers of colour. She is also a founder of the Jhalak Foundation that focuses on a range of literary, artistic and literacy initiatives in the UK and beyond. Sunny lives in London where she is Professor of Creative Writing and Inclusion in the Arts at the London Metropolitan University.
Read: An extract from Refuge by Sunny Singh, Refuge Week
First lines: When they talked, it was of practical matters. “Documents must always stay with you. On you. Not in the bag. You remember,” his hands pushed away her clothes.