Prayers for the Stolen by Jennifer Clement

We look forwards to reading more of Clement’s work Cambridge NewsĪ moving novel narrated by an open-hearted teenage girl growing up in the borderlands of Mexico controlled entirely by the drug cartels. This is a rollercoaster of a novel that will make you laugh, wince and gasp. This is an illuminating tale of womanhood in rural Mexico and a stunning portrait of a hopeful heroine in the face of adversity Antonia Charlesworth, Big Issue

This is a harrowing, compelling story, and will stay with you for a very long time Louise O’Neill, Irish Times Glints with occasional shards of comedy as black as the charcoal used to obscure female beauty Sophie Baggott, Times Literary Supplement The brutal background of this terrific novel is only too real Clement brings a modern tragedy to vivid life The Times

The theme of Prayers for the Stolen is the wanton violence inflicted on women and the destruction of communities as a result of the drug trade in Mexico, but Clement's eye for the revealing detail, the simple poetry of her language and the visceral authenticity of her characters turn that deadening reality into a compelling, tragically beautiful novel Yann Martel

This book has attracted a huge amount of attention and deservedly so Four Shires With Ladydi, Jennifer Clement has created a feisty teenage heroine who is an unforgettable character Good HousekeepingĮvery sentence in Prayers for the Stolen is direct, potent, unexpected twisting on the page like a knife in the gut… This work also gives us all of a novel's pleasures – a story laden with significance and drama and meaning, a keen feeling of relationship between reader and characters, a fully realised world through which we may roam Kirsty Gunn, Guardian An inspiring story of female resilience Psychologies Ladydi’s irreverent voice sings off the page and there are laughs to be had as she relates her mother’s drunken wisdom and seeks to find a way to live Cathy Retzenbrink, Metroĭespite its violent premise, this is a darkly comic read with one of the funniest, most touching narrators in years, highlighting a very real issue in a remarkably fresh way. Her portrayal of modern Mexico is heartbreaking a dangerous and damaging environment for women, but her portrait of Ladydi and her refusal to be one of the lost girls is defiantly bold and bravely uncompromising Eithne Farry, Sunday Express The sentences are spare and stripped back, but brilliantly manage to contain complex characters and intense emotional histories in a few vividly poetic words. shows the black comedy in the details and the emergency in the broader picture Gaby Wood, Telegraphīleak, but beautifully written… Clement's prose is luminous and startlingly original. This book is a way of seeing them Stylist 'Mexico is a warren of hidden women', says Jennifer Clement. Prayers For The Stolen is stark and brutal, but not without happiness.

Prayers for the Stolen by Jennifer Clement