Translations

Summary from Goodreads

Amid a series of personal disasters, Aliyah and her daughter, Sakina, retreat to rural NSW to make a new life. Aliyah manages to secure a run-down property and hires a farmhand, Shep, an extremely private Palestinian man and the region’s imām.

During a storm, she drives past the town’s river and happens upon a childhood friend, Hana, who has been living a life of desperation. Aliyah takes her in and tries to navigate the indefinable relationships between both Hana and her farmhand. Tensions rise as Aliyah’s devotion to Hana is strained by her growing bond with Shep.

Finally, all are thrown together for a reckoning alongside Hana’s brother Hashim, and Aliyah’s confidante, Billie – a local Kamilaroi midwife she met working at the hospital – while bushfires rage around them.

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Caddyshack Review

A novel of connection, loss and healing. Set in rural Australia, this book by Jumaana Abdu is an honest and thought-provoking narrative about the power of language, community care and multicultural identity. Grieve, love and laugh with Aliyah and her friends and family as she reconnects with her faith and finds community in a new home.

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