The Sky Above the Roof

The Sky Above the Roof is a novel that explores the effects of trauma and how it shapes generations, told through the alternating perspectives of Wolf's mother, sister, and other voices.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 144 pages
Publication date: 20 January 2022
Publisher: Quercus Publishing

Once upon a time, a boy named Wolf was born to a mother who believed that his name would bring him strength, luck, and natural authority. However, little did she know that this boy would grow up to be the gentlest and strangest of sons, and that he would end up captured like a wild animal.

Now, he finds himself in the back of a police van, as we turn the page. It all begins with a crash. One night, seventeen-year-old Wolf steals his mother's car and drives six hundred kilometers in search of his sister, who left home ten years ago. Unlicensed and on edge, he veers onto the wrong side of the road and causes an accident. He is arrested, imprisoned, and leaves his mother and sister to pick up the pieces.

What follows is an unflinching account of the events that lead to this moment, told through the alternating perspectives of Wolf's mother, sister, and various other voices. In this raw and poignant novel, Nathacha Appanah reveals how trauma shapes generations and the wounds it leaves behind.

The Sky Above the Roof is both a portrait of a fractured family and a poetic exploration of the ways we break apart and rebuild. Translated from the French by Geoffrey Strachan, this novel is a powerful testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the power of storytelling to heal wounds.

Weight: 120g
Dimension: 131 x 198 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781529408577