Ananda Devi

WINNER OF THE 2024 NEUSTADT INTERNATIONAL PRIZE FOR LITERATURE

Translated by Jeffrey Zuckerman

Published on 14 May 2021

NB: this YA edition includes an original preface by the author, before the unabridged text of the original edition (2016).

Winner of the Prix des cinq continents de la Francophonie 2006 (France) and the CLMP Firecracker Award in Fiction, 2017 (USA)
Finalist for the inaugural TA First Translation Prize 2018 (UK), the Albertine Prize 2017 and the Best Translated Book Award 2017 (USA)

Two girls: Eve, whose body is her only weapon and source of power; Savita, Eve's best friend and the only one who loves her selflessly, planning to leave, but not without Eve.

Two boys: Saadiq, gifted would-be poet, deeply in love with Eve; Clélio, the neighbourhood tough, waiting without hope for his brother to send for him from France.
All are desperate to escape the cycle of fear and violence in which they are trapped.

Read an excerpt on Lithubor watch Saffron Coomber, the voice of Eve in the audiobook, read an excerpt that moved her.
See reviews in the Guardian, the Irish Times and more

‘… incredible, so poetic and visceral. Devi is a powerful and uncompromising writer but the moments of tenderness and humanity throughout made the lack of it all the more stark. I'm so glad it's been translated, we need more books like this on shelves!’ — Deirdre Sullivan, author of Tangleweed and Brine

‘“One day we wake up and the future has disappeared.” So begins adult life in Troumaron, a run-down area of Port Louis, in Mauritius. But Devi’s young protagonists resist this erasure; boldest among them is Eve, one of the most compelling fictional characters I’ve ever encountered.’ — Natasha Soobramanien, author of Genie and Paul

‘The most vivid novel I’ve read in ages, magnificently translated by Jeffrey Zuckerman. The gorgeous, profoundly poetic writing is completely mesmerizing and viscerally affecting: it gave me goose bumps several times....The narrative slowly escalates through brilliant and memorable scenes, as well as haunting inner monologues, to its glorious conclusion....There is something so triumphant and so powerful in the structure of Eve, and something so real and touching in these characters, each consistent, unexpected, thought-provoking and wonderful. A work of profound sympathy and deep desire.’ — Jennifer Croft, translator of Flights, 2018 Man Booker International Prize.

By the same author: The Living Days(2020) and Eve Out of Her Ruins(general trade edition) (2016)

176 pages
paperback, 180 x 120 mm
isbn 978-1-8380141-4-8

Eve out of Her Ruins, was originally published in French as Ève des ses décombres © Editions Gallimard, Paris, 2006. The digital Audio-book is protected by copyright laws. No other use than home listening is allowed and any breach will constitute counterfeiting.