-
Get a Free Issue
of our Ezine!
by Maame Blue
An internationally award-winning writer makes her triumphant American debut in this emotionally powerful story—a potent blend of Queenie and The Vanishing Half—about a woman's journey to uncover a foundational family secret from the childhood she does not remember.
On the cusp of thirty, Ghanaian Londoner Whitney Appiah was born with a special gift. The massage therapist can physically sense where her clients' trauma lies and heal them. But Whitney has no idea that she too, is suffering. Tragic events from her youth have left a terrible, unseen mark. When a dangerous encounter with the man she's dating triggers a wave of fragmented recollections, Whitney embarks on a journey to reclaim her memories and the truth that is buried deep in her early years growing up in Kumasi, Ghana during the 1990s.
Spanning three decades, told through the viewpoints of Whitney, sisters Gloria and Aretha, and their house help Maame Serwaa, The Rest of You explores what happens when we try to move forward through the lacuna of our past.
A strikingly original novel inspired by the Twi proverb of Sankofa: looking back in order to move forward, The Rest of You is a story of generational healing, what it means to be Black British, and surviving familial migrant journeys. Tackling darkly serious themes yet full of hope and optimism, and told with an eye towards the future, Maame Blue's extraordinary tale is an unforgettable celebration of womanhood, friendship, and family.
"Blue's evocative prose and keen insights make for a compelling read, inviting reflection on the nature of trauma and the quest for identity. This powerful story affirms Blue's place as a significant voice in contemporary literature." —Booklist (starred review)
"This powerful story of friendship, sisterhood, and resilience will linger in readers' minds." —Publishers Weekly
"The secrets of Whitney's past aren't likely to surprise the reader, and some significant threads, including a supposed family curse and a revenge plot, are left dangling. Blue's sympathetic, complex characters deserve a more developed story." —Kirkus Reviews
"The Rest of You is a moving exploration of friendship, family, grief, loss, boundary violations and healing that highlights the unexpected ways in which past actions echo in the present time. Whitney, Gloria, Aretha, and Maame Serwa's stories will keep you turning the pages, eager for more. Maame Blue is a brilliant and discerning wordsmith and The Rest of You is a must read." —Omolola Ijeoma Ogunyemi, author of Jollof Rice and Other Revolutions
"A novel that doesn't shy away from the modern issues of being Black and female. At times heartbreaking, this portrait of a family coming to terms with a tragic past is vivid and tender." —Louise Hare, author of This Lovely City
"Maame's skill at crafting characters that take bits of your heart with them as you read the final pages is a true gift. Following the characters through the intertwining of multiple timelines brought forth the force that yearning and longing actually possess. A wonderful book!" —Kelechi Okafor, author of Edge of Here and Strong Like Me
This information about The Rest of You was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Maame Blue is a Ghanaian-Londoner and award-winning author of the novel Bad Love, which won the 2021 Betty Trask Award, and was shortlisted for the Betty Trask Prize. She has been a scriptwriter on a Venezuelan telenovela remixed for African audiences, and her short stories have appeared in several international anthologies, including Not Quite Right For Us, New Australian Fiction 2020, and Joyful, Joyful. Maame is a recipient of the 2022 Society of Authors Travelling Scholarship and was a 2022 POCC Artist-in-Residence. Maame contributes regularly to Writers Mosaic and has written pieces for Refinery29, Black Ballad, and Society of Authors Magazine. She is a Faber Academy and City Lit Creative Writing Tutor and regularly runs creative writing workshops. She lives in London.
Libby Lost and Found
by Stephanie Booth
Libby Lost and Found is a book for people who don't know who they are without the books they love.
There is no science without fancy and no art without fact
Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!
.png)
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
