#Blogtour Never Tell Anyone Your Name by Federico Ivanier

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Never Tell Anyone Your Name by Federico Ivanier.

About the Author

Federico Ivanier is an acclaimed Uruguayan writer for young people. He has written over twenty books that have been published across Latin America. On more than one occasion, his works have been awarded the National Prize for Literature from the Uruguayan Ministry for Education and Culture as well as the Premio Bartolomé Hidalgo, one of the country’s most important literary awards. Federico has also worked occasionally as a screenwriter and teaches English as a second language. Follow @FedericoIvanier on X (the artist formerly known as Twitter)

About the Translator

Claire Storey translates from Spanish and  German into English. She specialises in literature for younger readers with a particular interest in MG and YA fiction. In 2021/22, she was given funding from Arts Council England for a translation project focusing on Young Adult Literature from Latin America. She regularly volunteers in schools to talk about careers with languages and was named Outreach Champion 2021 by the Institute of Translation and Interpreting. Follow @ClaireStorey16 Visit clairestoreylanguages.co.uk

About the book

Travelling between France and Spain, a 16 year-old-boy is marooned in on the Spanish border, in the unfamiliar Spanish town of Irún, with nowhere to go. Snow is falling, darkness is creeping in, and the next train to Madrid is not till midnight. 

Lost and hungry, he has eight hours to kill. His favourite rock band blasting in his ears, he explores the shuttered town, thinking of Lucrecia, his first love who told him it was over, and how he was heartbroken. A dark-eyed Spanish girl befriends him, and he is instantly attracted to her. But what are her intentions, and who is she really? The two teens spend the evening walking and talking as night falls. Midnight approaches, and the boy with no name must leave and return to board his train. Dark forces gather, and his hours in Irún come to a truly shocking end. 

Review

This is a short, poignant and memorable read - novella length. It's very much - the reading experience and what you take away from it - will be determined by the reader and their frame of reference. Not that it isn't usually the case, but this story might just have a wide range of responses.

Although the story is perhaps a step into the macabre, a tinge of horror, and a dollop of darkness - there is light at the end of the tunnel. The spark of humanity that is drawn through the story like a line in the sand, dividing the hope and the base inhumanity we know exists.

How close do we walk between the two sides of our emotional and physical responses, how many of us walk exactly on the divide and are always in danger of slipping into one or the other. Simultaneously the realisation that someone who walks through life with an open mind embracing the world and people around them, is probably going to be disappointed by how often that open embrace is misused, taken advantage of and creates a potentially dangerous situation.

What I took away from this very astute, well written and compelling piece of literature, is that trust has become an almost mythical element of our existence that is a rare quality never experienced. Equally that behind every external appearance and base assumptions is the interior of boundaries, memories and emotions we are unable to recognise.

I really enjoyed the read and the ride - I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this author. Also kudos to the translator for capturing the voice of the story. 

Buy Never Tell Anyone Your Name at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎HopeRoad, pub date26 Oct. 2023. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour Does Snow Turn a Person White Inside? by Max Lobe

 It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Does Snow Turn a Person White Inside? by Max Lobe, translated by Ros Schwartz.

About the Author

Max Lobe was born in Douala, Cameroon. At eighteen he moved to Switzerland, where he earned a BA in communication and journalism and a master’s in public policy and administration. In 2017, his novel Confidences won the Ahmadou Kourouma Prize. Other books by the author include 39 Rue de Berne and A Long Way From Douala published by Small Axes in 2021. Max Lobe lives in Geneva. Follow @maxlobe3 on Twitter

About the book

The narrator, Mwana, is a young man from Bantuland, living in Geneva. A graduate from a Swiss university, we first encounter Mwana waiting for a bus in the hills of Lugano gazing at a poster calling for “black sheep” to be sent home. 

Mwana’s efforts to find work are fruitless until he lands an internship in an NGO campaigning against racial discrimination. The team is busy organising a demonstration against the black sheep poster. Mwana has one foot in each culture. He sees Swiss society through African eyes, with all its contradictions: its moderation, stunning landscapes and its eccentricities, but also its intolerance and inflexibility. 

He also casts a critical eye on his native Africa, the weight of its traditions and beliefs. Is belonging nowhere the price Mwana has to pay for these insights?

Sad and playful Does Snow Turn a Person White Inside? is a moving reflection on the immigrant experience. 

Review

This is an interesting one, a little bit like a pulsing heart with a variety of arteries leading away from it in different directions. Mwana at the core - the heart, and the arteries represent origin country, new domicile, experiences of xenophobia and racism, experience of homophobia - there are so many nuances to the life of Mwana. 

In essence it is the story of immigration, which is often a difficult process in itself, but when the experience of the immigrant is seen through the lens of the racism, xenophobia and homophobia it's an explosive situation that places a deep burden of fear, rejection and anger on the person involved.

It's hard to explain the experience to someone who has never lived that kind upheaval before. Origin country is still home, despite both negative and positive connotations, new country is the unstable variant of home. Being surrounded by constant reminders of being unwanted and always being on high alert - it creates anger, depression and a sense of hopelessness.

Simultaneously it's also a story about faith, hope, and unfortunately also sadly the snake eating its own tail when it comes to systems being in place to support those in need, including those who have an unintended stumble through no fault of their own. The brick walls they hit along the way, even from people who know what they are going through, it's no wonder a certain cynicism develops after a while.

It's definitely a read between the lines and a look closely at the real state of affairs kind of book. Good read. I think the most poignant point is that no matter where Mwana goes they feel as if adjusting will never be enough. No amount or how hard they try to assimilate to society will change the way the world reacts to him.

Buy Does Snow Turn a Person White Inside at Amazon Uk. Publisher: ‎Small Axes - Hope Road Publishing pub date 25 Aug. 2022. Buy via Hope Road.