Promotional Information

/ Lead title Set during the 1980s civil war in Lebanon, 'Dreams of Water' is complusively readable, deceptively simple and overwhelmingly moving. / Huge current interest angle due to the recent unrest in Lebanon. / A beautiful study of exile and of hope. Nada Awar Jarrar has a moving and poetic touch. / Perfect for fans of 'The Kite Runner' and 'The Dark Room'. / Nada Awar Jarrar's first novel, 'Somewhere, Home' won the Commonwealth Best First Book award for Southeast Asia and the South Pacific in 2004. / Competition: Rachel Seiffert, Khaled Hosseini

About the Author

Nada Awar Jarrar was born in Lebanon to an Australian mother and Lebanese father. She now lives in Beirut with her husband and daughter.

Reviews

Praise for 'Dreams of Water': 'The beauty of this novel lies in its images which are vivid and strange, sometimes even fantastical!There is comfort in reading about characters, all of whom are withdrawn and inhibited, yet who are shown as capable of great tenderness.' Times Literary Supplement 'A slow-burning, powerful story of loss and grief' Good Housekeeping 'Twenty years ago, when civil war broke out in Lebanon, Nada Awar Jarrar was forced to flee with her family. Her novel Dreams of Water recasts this experience in a tale about a family whose son goes missing in war-ravaged Beirut' Vogue 'This beautifully written book is powerfully evocative of the human cost of war and the longing for love, that despite the shooting and shelling, never fades.' Economist Praise for 'Dreams of Water': 'The characters are surrounded by loss and memory!Jarrar presents their stories as fragments, shifting us backwards and forwards in time, stressing the precarious nature of life for those trying to escape physical and emotional distress.' Metro 'An absorbing novel which beautifully navigates the themes of love and loss.' Easy Living Magazine 'The prizewinning author of 'Somewhere, Home', returns with a moving tale of love, loss, exile and hope, written in lucid, spare prose.' Sainsbury's Magazine 'Nada Awar Jarrar's second novel arrives as beautifully and temptingly wrapped as a box of Lebanese sweets.' Sharq Magazine 'This beautifully written book is powerfully evocative of the human cost of war and the longing for love.' The Economist 'A moving story about the love, hope and strong ties that bind families.' First 'The beauty of this novel lies in its images which are vivid and strange, sometimes even fantastical.' TLS 'A haunting paean to the confusion of grief, the damage of war, and trauma caused by faith.' Glasgow Evening Times Praise for 'Somewhere, Home': 'A picture of simplicity. Her style is subtle and not overbearing, which leaves the reader with an urge to find out more about the places and people she has created' Observer 'There is a gentle humour to be found in its characterisation; you will feel that Jarrar knows these people well' Daily Telegraph 'A moving novel written with great elegance and much compassion.' Publishing News, Special selection 'This is a beautiful book. Jarrar's prose is like a veil of poetry, threaded with the scents, sights and colours of the old house!The result is a seductive and hypnotic haven, and a powerful rebuke to the persistent brutality of war.' Sunday Herald Glasgow 'A stunning novel, beautifully written and almost poetic in style, it stayed with me long after I finished reading.' York Evening News