Following on from her hugely successful debut novel This Is Not Who We Are, Sophie Buchaillard tells the tale of belonging against a backdrop of colonialism, travel and family secrets. Spanning three generations of women whose identities are rooted in different countries, and indeed, continents, Assimilation is a multi-character novel that reads almost like a journal, its pages falling open to a different time, place and outlook at the reader’s mercy. The intertwined and often non-linear narrative offers both a stark contrast and an eerie juxtaposition of time and memory.
Travel is at the heart of the story, a character in its own right; a gifted journal is a beacon for exploration of not only the world but of oneself. Over time, just like the free movement of people, the shift in meaning from adventurer to migrant becomes ever-more apparent in a time blighted by historical events and their consequences.
Buchaillard’s richly descriptive prose makes for excellent and thought-provoking reading. In laying down roots in Wales, the novel offers a unique take on dual identity. Assimilation is divided into segments that capture the fragmentation of being, each chapter titled with a different location but ever-present is the desire for home.
Assimilation, Sophie Buchaillard (Honno)
Price: £9.49. Info: here
words SARA MURPHY