Vendor
	Mohrbooks Literary Agency Sebastian Ritscher
Original language
English
Categories
Fiction & Related items

THE BONES OF BARRY KNIGHT

Emma Musty

In a remote refugee camp, many diverse lives collide. For fans of The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Cristy Lefteri, Voices of the Lost by Moda Barakat, Jeanine Cummins, and Elif Shafak

A tale of grief and resilience against the greatest odds, The Bones of Barry Knight asks how we can better care for one another on a global scale.
Having lost her father and brother, Saleema lives in a refugee camp, with books as her only escape. When she hears that someone famous will be coming to visit, she hopes they'll answer the many questions she has about the living conditions of the people around her.
Despite a looming civil war, many lives converge to the camp - a charity org CEO, her half Palestinian partner, a journalist in search of the truth to honour her recently deceased adoptive mother, a volunteer that wants to confront Barry Knight for a hit-and-run that killed his girlfriend, and the ageing rockstar himself, alcoholic and lonely, hoping to clear his reputation with some good press. Years later, they all find a way to tell their stories.

Emma Musty is an editor and writer with Are You Serious?, a daily news digest about the refugee situation in Europe and a long term member of Khora Community Centre which works with marginalised groups in Athens. She is also a freelance consultant from Refugee Rights Europe.

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Book Published 2022-03-17 by Legend Press

Comments

I found it an engaging book that looks at how our flaws and our humanity go hand in hand. It acknowledges the complicated path that leads to systemic injustice and asks us to take a hard look at our own paths and choices. The characters are well-crafted with individual voices and complicated perspectives.

The Bones of Barry Knight is a rich, multi-faceted vision of displacement and reconciliation, exploring the impact of war on a group of people whose lives intersect in a refugee camp in an unnamed state. As the threat of violence closes in, everyone must confront the terrifying future which their pasts have led them to. A novel which is utterly contemporary and unflinching in asking uncomfortable questions about the West's attempts to manage the fallout of colonial expansion and invasion - I was gripped.

This is such an ambitious novel, sweeping in its scope and resonant with compassion. Like Barry Knight, the reader is yanked out of their complacency to face up to the complex and intricate connections which make up contemporary life, and is challenged to consider what constitutes meaning in the histories, journeys and relationships we negotiate. An intriguing cast of characters brings these questions vividly to life.

Very few novelists are able to cope convincingly with the apocalyptic times we're living through. Emma Musty's new novel shows that she has the skills, the breadth of vision and the humanity to meet the challenge.