Sing to Me - by Jesse Browner (Hardcover)

About the Book

"His family farm and the surrounding community now emptied by war, young Hani embarks on an epic quest--assisted by a brooding yet brilliant donkey--to find his lost sister in the ruins of Troy. Some war stories transcend time and circumstance, and so it is with the resourceful and heartbroken Hani, who must employ every bit of intelligence, every scrap of ingenuity, and ultimately every ounce of his spirit and humor to withstand the forces of civilization's collapse. Hani is no ordinary boy, however, and a character unlike any you've ever met. His interior world is one of startling depth and complexity. His insights into life, lives, and history are breathtakingly fresh. And his hope for survival--not a given, and in fact, less than likely--will propel you to the startling conclusion of this brief, elegiac, and singular work"--

Book Synopsis

After the fall of Troy, an eleven-year-old boy sets off for the razed city when his father and sister vanish into the war zone; this "gorgeously drawn" novel offers an intimate vision of the most storied war in history, as seen through the eyes of a child. (Laird Hunt)

His family farm and the surrounding community now emptied by war, young Hani embarks on an epic quest - assisted by a brooding yet brilliant donkey - to find his lost sister in the ruins of Troy. Some war stories transcend time and circumstance, and so it is with the resourceful and heartbroken Hani, who must employ every bit of intelligence, every scrap of ingenuity, and ultimately every ounce of his spirit and humor to withstand the forces of civilization's collapse.

Hani is no ordinary boy, however, and a character unlike any you've ever met. His interior world is one of startling depth and complexity. His insights into life, lives, and history are breathtakingly fresh. And his hope for survival--not a given, and in fact, less than likely--will propel you to the startling conclusion of this brief, elegiac, and singular work.

Review Quotes

"Ever since their exploits were recorded in Homeric Greek, the warriors of the "Iliad" have been fixtures of our cultural heritage. But in his latest novel, Browner prefers to focus on the unknown lives that were lost on the fringes of the Trojan War, on the damage years of fighting left behind."--New York Times Book Review

"A deeply meditative and soulful examination of life told through the eyes of an eleven-year-old boy exploring a world he is not made for... gorgeously written from start to finish. Browner's sense of place is impeccable, and he has a particular talent in lingering over his descriptions without burdening the reader, sumptuously drawing them into Hani's experience... Browner is a master of capturing the reader's attention, slowing it down and holding it there. There is truly nowhere else for you to go, but that's not a problem -- there is not anywhere else you will want to be."--Pittsburgh Post Gazette

"Remarkable. . . An absorbing and powerful story showing the pointlessness of war."--Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

"Browner brilliantly conveys the impact of war through its collateral consequences, such as the farms in Hani's village left barren without able-bodied men to tend them. The novel also playfully subverts Homer's heroic tropes. . . a worthy counterpoint to the classic myths."--Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"In the aftermath of human disaster, where do we find solace? Sing to Me is an extremely powerful novel that suggests we might find hope in the place where storytelling and humanity rhyme."--Colum McCann, bestselling and National Book Award-winning author of Let the Great World Spin

"This tough, tender tale about a young boy and his donkey who set out together to find a loved one in the catastrophic aftermath of ancient conflict feels both like a portrait of times long past and something that might have happened a week ago. Browner's gorgeously drawn novel is rife with horror but also infused with hope, and Hani, his protagonist, is a marvelous creation. You root for him from page one."--Laird Hunt, author of the National Book Award-nominated Zorrie

"Sing to Me succeeds brilliantly as an adventure story, an epic of war and survival, and a moving portrayal of friendship and familial loyalty. But, for me, the novel's most remarkable achievement is its inspired unfolding of its young protagonist's blossoming psyche. Each stage in his hero's journey leaves Hani a deeper, wiser thinker and a more courageous, compassionate, and ethical human being."--Sigrid Nunez, author of the National Book Award-winning The Friend

About the Author

Jesse Browner is the author of the novels The Uncertain Hour and Everything Happens Today, among others, as well as of the memoir How Did I Get Here? He is also the translator of works by Jean Cocteau, Paul Eluard, Rainer Maria Rilke, Matthieu Ricard and other French literary masters. He lives in New York City.