Emma recommends... Black Butterflies - Priscilla Morris

Emma recommends... The list of nominations says it all. This is a very real contender for my book of 2023; I just loved it. Shedding light on a conflict that I imagine many of us remember but probably few of us know or understand much about, there is an extraordinary empathy and deftness to the writing that renders difficult - and potentially heavy - subject matter unforgettable and beautiful. 

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SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE 2023

SHORTLISTED FOR THE RSL ONDAATJE PRIZE 2023

SHORTLISTED FOR THE AUTHORS' CLUB BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARD 2023

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WILBUR SMITH PRIZE 2023

SHORTLISTED FOR THE NOTA BENE PRIZE 2023

Sarajevo, spring 1992. Each night, nationalist gangs erect barricades, splitting the diverse city into ethnic enclaves; each morning, the residents - whether Muslim, Croat or Serb - push the makeshift barriers aside. When violence finally spills over, Zora, an artist and teacher, sends her husband and elderly mother to safety with her daughter in England.

Reluctant to believe that hostilities will last more than a handful of weeks, she stays behind while the city falls under siege. As the assault deepens and everything they love is laid to waste, black ashes floating over the rooftops, Zora and her friends are forced to rebuild themselves, over and over. Theirs is a breathtaking story of disintegration, resilience and hope.