Misinterpretation
Published on 5. June 2025
328 pages
978-1-917092-19-7 (ISBN)
Description
In New York City, an Albanian interpreter cannot help but become entangled in her clients' struggles, despite her husband's cautions. When she reluctantly agrees to work with Alfred, a Kosovar torture survivor, during his therapy sessions, his nightmares stir up her own buried memories; while an impulsive attempt to help a Kurdish poet leads to a risky encounter and a reckless plan.
As ill-fated decisions stack up, jeopardising the nameless narrator's marriage and mental health, she takes a spontaneous trip to reunite with her mother in Albania, where her life in the United States is put into stark relief. When she returns to face the consequences of her actions, she must question what is real and what is not.
Ruminative and propulsive, Misinterpretation interrogates the darker legacies of family and country, and the boundary between compassion and self-preservation.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Daunt Books
File size
0,54 MB
ISBN-13
978-1-917092-19-7 (9781917092197)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Ledia Xhoga was born and raised in Tirana, Albania and currently lives in Brooklyn. Her debut novel Misinterpretation was the winner of the New York City Book Award for outstanding debut author, Finalist for the Center For Fiction First Novel Prize and a Best of 2024 book by Debutiful. Her work has been published in Electric Literature, Lit Hub, Brooklyn Rail, Large Hearted Boy, Intrepid Times, Hobart and other journals.
