The Silence of the Choir - by Mohamed Mbougar Sarr (Paperback)

About the Book

Seventy-two men arrive in the middle of the Sicilian countryside. They are "immigrants," "refugees" or "migrants." But in Altino, they're called the ragazzi, the "guys" that the Santa Marta Association have taken responsibility for. In this small Sicilian town, their arrival changes life for everybody. While they wait to know their fate, the ragazzi encounter all kinds of people: a strange vicar who rewrites their pasts, a woman committed to ensuring them asylum, a man determined to fight against it, an older ragazzo who has become an interpreter, and a reclusive poet who no longer writes.

Book Synopsis

AN ECONOMIST BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

A NEW YORKER BEST BOOK OF 2024

A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR

A BOOK RIOT BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

WINNER

MÉTIS NOVEL PRIZE FOR READERS OF THE CITY OF SAINT-DENIS

THE 2018 SOLIDARITY PRIZE

THE WORLD LITERATURE PRIZE

THE PORTE DORÉE LITERARY PRIZE

"A powerful plea for compassion in the face of hatred." The Guardian

"Sarr points honestly and often brilliantly to the divisions between us...he offers a dozen different ways of seeing not only the other side, but ourselves as well." The New York Times

A symphonic story set in contemporary Sicily, The Silence of the Choir recounts the arrival of seventy-two men, refugees, in the small town of Altino and the impact of their arrival on the town and its inhabitants. Here is a collective encounter with The Other, a modern "anthology" of lived experience that addresses the most urgent questions of our day, an important, entertaining, absorbing novel by one of contemporary fiction's most exciting new voices.

"In this ambitious novel...Sarr moves adroitly between the viewpoints of a wide cast of characters." The New Yorker

Review Quotes

WINNER OF THE METIS NOVEL PRIZE FOR READERS OF THE CITY OF SAINT-DENIS 2018 WINNER OF THE SOLIDARITY PRIZE 2018

WINNER OF THE WORLD LITERATURE PRIZE 2018
WINNER OF THE LA PORTE DOREE LITERARY PRIZE 2018

A NEW YORK TIMES EDITOR'S CHOICE

Praise for The Silence of the Choir and Mohamed Mbougar Sarr

★ "An insightful overview of Europe's modern refugee crisis... This is a timely work, profoundly relevant to our understanding of population shifts not only in Africa and Europe but around the globe. Dramatic, compelling writing on the dimensions of cultural disruption and the possibilities of reintegration."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Sarr moves adroitly between the viewpoints of a wide cast of characters--refugees, politicians, advocacy workers, xenophobic vigilantes, a priest, an eminent poet--while probing the complexities of Europe's debate over asylum."--The New Yorker

"Sarr uses a range of third-person perspectives that vary in scope and style. Alison Anderson's deft translation is all the more impressive for the ease with which she manages these shifts. Characters aren't revealed so much as they are refracted through different narrative lenses, allowing us to consider how a story's form, perhaps more than the story itself, can determine how we understand a person."--Dinaw Mengestu, The New York Times Book Review

"A raucously polyphonic novel."--Julian Lucas, The New Yorker

"Sarr shines at dissecting the contradictory forces that coexist in the refugee crisis, a situation mirrored throughout the world."--Booklist

"Sarr delivers a moving, dynamic story, shedding light on the joys and consequences of contemporary immigration."--BookPage

"Breathtaking."--Virginie Brinker, Hybrida

"[The Silence of the Choir] is bathed in an optimistic light--that of the solidarity that resurfaces in the hardest times."--Jeune Afrique

"The Silence of the Choir manages to negotiate immigration and its various complexities into one cohesive and emotionally ravaging tale . . . The Silence of the Choir is nothing short of masterful."--Under The Radar

"Captivating, precise, sensual prose. A book that will stir your emotions and make you think. A love letter to literature, this novel is already a classic and it will haunt you."--Leïla Slimani, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Nanny on The Most Secret Memory of Men

"More than an engrossing investigation into the mysterious author of a cursed book, Sarr's magnificent novel also offers a profound reflection on the resonance of literature in our lives."--David Diop, International Booker Prize-winning author of At Night All Blood Is Black, on The Most Secret Memory of Men

"The revelation of the literary year."--L'Express on The Most Secret Memory of Men