‘Singh’s tales are brief, acute and sensitively judged: shocking in their brutal reality, without luxuriating in the macabre. Refuge is a vital, humane book.’ New Statesman
‘Set against a variety of conflicts from the past century, author and academic Sunny Singh pays tribute to the courage and strength of victim-survivors of war, whose voices mostly go unheard because the victors control the narrative. The stories have only the minimum of description to anchor their location and time. This gives them a sense of universality and stresses that, while the background is interchangeable, the utter horror of armed conflict is the same. Equally, none of the stories would be out of place in a contemporary setting of Ukraine or Gaza. But, even in the deepest degradations depicted, Singh shows that love can endure and renewal is possible. The final message from the collection is not one of despair but one of hope.’ Asian Review of Books
‘In the midst of war, when we are taught too many unbearable lessons, it can be hard to hold onto each other, let alone to hope. In these stories, crafted with care and compassion, Sunny Singh finds a way to hold on. Readers are guided gently and skilfully through the violence to some other place. A moving and memorable collection.’ Sara Ahmed, author and scholar
‘In every story here Sunny Singh crafts a distinctive woman’s voice, an unforgettable atmosphere, revealing wars’ myriad rhythms, unpredictable turns. Reading these remarkable stories reminds me to stay ready to be surprised when trying to grasp how any girl, any woman, anywhere makes sense of her own war.’ Cynthia Enloe, author of Twelve Feminist Lessons of War
‘There is a world of hurt in these emotionally complex stories. She gives voice to the voiceless and bears witness to the realities of violence. Tenderness battles with terror’ Daily Mail
‘Sunny Singh’s incandescent short story collection takes us inside the world of war – its consequences, its legacies, its victims, its perpetrators, its survivors. It also teaches us something about people’s remarkable ability to endure, love and retain dignity and compassion, even in the most extreme of circumstances. In a world ablaze with conflict, this is an essential read for all who believe in the power of stories and love.’ Recommended by Service95
‘Though they span different continents and ages, in a sense, the stories transcend place and time, and become portrayals of the universal truths of war — the cruelty, the carnage, the vicious cycle of revenge, the way some die fighting and some die loving. And some wait grieving. Singh tells her tales of war and love with rare understanding and poignancy. Her prose is elegant, restrained, gently reminding us of our essential humanity — that which can perhaps redeem us in these times of devastating strife.’ Deccan Chronicle and Asian Age
‘These stories reveal the many sides of war, drawing attention to its unrelenting toll, while also illuminating a quiet dignity that persists in moments of compassion and resilience. An essential collection that reminds us of an enduring hope in our humanity.’ Guy Gunaratne, author and journalist
‘Superb. An incandescent, charged and propulsive work. It’s a testament to Sunny Singh’s considerable talents as a writer.’ Irenosen Okojie, author
‘In terrible times, our storytellers need to be tender and steely; Singh is this kind of writer, a necessary interlocutor between evil and possibility. We must read stories just like this in these times: small, beautiful, tough ways to remember love despite the wickedness. There are terrible things here, necessary truths and unremitting heart.’ Leone Ross, author
‘Sunny Singh possesses the rare ability to infuse the most harrowing depictions of war and loss, with grace, tenacity and perfectly captured moments of hope. This is an incredibly powerful collection of stories which move between place, time and perspective with utter ease. Reading Refuge feels like walking alongside Singh’s characters, seeing the world through their eyes and for a brief, and heartbreaking moment, feeling some small part of their pain.’ Jan Carson, author
‘Refuge is a beautiful, urgent collection: here are cross generational voices mapped across diverse territories steeped in resilience, quiet suffering, longing and love. Essential to our understanding of the courage and hearts of victims and survivors in the most brutal of circumstances, Singh’s prose pulses with grace. A must read for our time.’ Elaine Canning, author and director of the Dylan Thomas Prize
Nur and Abid relearn to love after they escape from war. Marie, who keeps the women of the village form giving children born of war, finds herself in a situation she hasn’t faced before. In a London park, an ageing MI6 official discovers that the woman he meets every week may not be what she seems. Lyndsey’s bouquet of twenty-seven tulips holds the secret of her dark past and a soldier adorns herself in jewels as she prepares for a final mission.
The unifying theme is war – its consequences, its legacies, its victims, its perpetrators, its survivors and the power of humanity’s ability to endure, love and retain dignity and compassion. Delving deep into the darkest parts of the human psyche as well as highlighting the very best in us, this powerful collection spans decades and continents and will live on in the imagination long after the last page. Singh brings to life people shaped by violence and survival with nuance, compassion and an insistence on truth. In a world ablaze with conflict, this is an essential read for all who believe in the power of stories and love.
‘In this collection, Sunny Singh uses the short story like a scalpel—clean, brutal, precise and necessary. Every story becomes surgery of a sort, digging out the shrapnel of trauma that other wars (and war-stories) leave buried. The short story suits her excavation perfectly. Its compressed heat mirrors how trauma unravels—in sudden fragments, resurfacing where it is least expected.’ Meena Kandasamy, poet
Sales
- Footnote Press/Bonnier UK & ANZ; Bonnier India
- W F Howes Audio World English