The Belly of the Atlantic

Salie lives in Paris. Back home on the Senegalese Island of Niodior, her football-crazy brother, Madicke, counts on her to get him to France, the promised land where foreign footballers become world famous. Given his illusions, how can Salie explain to him the grim reality of life as an immigrant? The story of Salie and Madicke highlights the painful situation of those who emigrate. Others who feel this pain include Ndetare, the Marxist schoolteacher and football coach, exiled to Niodior by the government but never accepted by those born there. Then there's Sankele, his former lover, the legendary beauty, whose only way out of an arranged marriage ends in tragedy. And poor Moussa, whose dreams look set to come true when he's scouted by a big French football club, but which fall apart when he doesn't make the team.

ISBN 1852429038   DEWEY edition DC22 ISBN13 9781852429034 (What's this?)   Pages 256 Publisher Profile Books Ltd   Volumes 1 Imprint Serpent's Tail   Weight (grammes) 204 Format Paperback   Published in London Publication date 04 Sep 2006   Height (mm) 198 Translator Ros Schwartz, Lulu Norman   Width (mm) 129 Library of Congress PQ   Spine width (mm) 13 DEWEY 843.92   Academic level General

"'When it comes to immigration, cliches are abundant. With her first novel, Fatou Diome sweeps them all away. This well-written saga grips the reader at the same time as it confronts prejudice' Le Figaro 'With this powerful novel, epic and tumultuous, Fatou Diome confirms her enormous talent' Le Canard Enchaine 'It's the humour of the book that entices the reader to want to know more about its author... The Belly of the Atlantic is a great read that you can't put down' Le Monde"

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