AUGUST 2014 - AudioFile
In the future world of the 2060s, two young women journey from their homes in separate storylines that eventually converge. Narrator Nazneen Contractor portrays Meena, who leaves Mumbai and travels toward Djibouti over a bridge across the Arabian Sea. Contractor is undaunted by explicit bisexual scenes, and her portrayal of this educated, complex young woman is distinctive. Weaving around this plot is the story of Mariama, who escapes from slavery as a small child and joins a caravan heading across Saharan Africa toward Ethiopia. Narrator Dioni Collins reflects Mariama’s tentativeness in facing the challenges of the world, but her voice shows the character’s growing confidence and strength as her journey progresses. The two narrators effectively draw the contrasts between the two women, helping the listener follow the plot as their lives come together. J.E.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine
From the Publisher
Sci-fi has long claimed to be the multicultural literature of the future. This is the real thing. . . . Described with verve and conviction. . . . A new sensation, a real achievement.” —Wall Street Journal
“Dizzying. . . . Primal and indelible. . . . Delivered with all the vivid, haunting poignancy of a vision quest.”— NPR.org
“Vividly imagined.” —Los Angeles Times
“[A] sci-fi smash hit. . . . Byrne crafts a gorgeous future world. . . . Elaborate and beguiling.”—Duke Chronicle
“It’s transfixing to watch Monica Byrne become a major player in sci-fi with her debut novel: so sharp, so focused and so human. Beautifully drawn people in a future that feels so close you can touch it, blended with the lush language and concerns of myth. It builds a bridge from past to future, from East to West. Glorious stuff.” —Neil Gaiman, author of The Ocean at the End of the Lane
“Relentlessly kinetic. . . . [The narrative] captures the sheer surface speed and exhilaration of living in the changing contemporary world. . . . A ceaseless storm of matter and energy.” —Los Angeles Review of Books
“The Girl in the Road brims with ambition...Inventive… Fearless …[A] wild, hallucinatory ride.”—San Francisco Chronicle
“In unadorned, clearly descriptive prose, Byrne moves briskly from scene to scene. . . . A deeply felt, troubling and memorable story.” —Indy Week (Durham, NC)
“Engrossing, thought-provoking. . . . [Byrne] weaves the elements of science fiction and speculative fiction with myth, spirituality and philosophical speculation, all while creating a page-turning story. The Girl in the Road is meant to be enjoyed, pondered, and re-read.” —Durham Herald-Sun
“Impressive. . . . The one thing no reader will doubt is Byrne’s place as a strong new voice in science fiction.” —Shelf Awareness
“This science fiction tale of future Africa and Asia has all the escape you could want — new technology, a murder mystery, two interwoven narratives — plus the cultural commentary inherent in the best of speculative fiction. Byrne’s characters are complicated, a little lost, and well worth rooting for. With a debut like this, you’ll want to keep an eye on her.” —Brooklyn Daily
“Byrne, whose creative life is clearly churning, has earned broad exposure for her debut novel, and with support from mentors such as author Neil Gaiman, she’s on her own journey – as a writer, defying literary convention and shaping worlds out of uncomfortable truths.” –Raleigh News & Observer
“Gripping. . . . Easily one of my favorite books I’ve read this year.” —Bookish.com
“Stunning. . . . More than a few surprises await Meena and Mariama and the reader as story lines converge in a surprising, gratifying climax.” —Booklist
“Spectacular and intriguing. . . . Enthralling on many levels. . . . The incorporation of evolving views of gender . . . propel this novel into the stratosphere of artistic brilliance.” —Library Journal (starred)
“The most inventive tale to come along in years. . . . The writing is often brilliant, as Byrne paints wholly believable pictures of worlds and cultures most Westerners will never know. . . . Engrossing and enjoyable.” —Kirkus
“Byrne is a science writer and graduate of MIT, but her insight into our near future is as much informed by her extensive travels as her grasp of science. . . . A book you will certainly be hearing a lot about in 2014.” —Guardian (UK)
“Monica Byrne’s vision of India and Africa as an ever-changing maelstrom of language and culture, technology and sexuality is utterly captivating. As Meena and Mariama chase each other’s echoes, Byrne strips away their preconceptions (and ours as well) through that most dangerous of human impulses: our need to understand the past, and to decide our own future. An electrifying debut.” —Helene Wecker, author of The Golem and the Jinni
“Monica Byrne has written the road trip novel you didn't know you were waiting for. A genuine and extraordinary journey. Take it.” —John Scalzi, author of Redshirts
“The Girl in the Road is a brilliant novel, vivid, intense, and fearless with a kind of savage joy. These journeys—Meena’s across the Arabian Sea and Mariama’s across Africa—are utterly unforgettable.” —Kim Stanley Robinson, author of 2312 and Red Mars
AUGUST 2014 - AudioFile
In the future world of the 2060s, two young women journey from their homes in separate storylines that eventually converge. Narrator Nazneen Contractor portrays Meena, who leaves Mumbai and travels toward Djibouti over a bridge across the Arabian Sea. Contractor is undaunted by explicit bisexual scenes, and her portrayal of this educated, complex young woman is distinctive. Weaving around this plot is the story of Mariama, who escapes from slavery as a small child and joins a caravan heading across Saharan Africa toward Ethiopia. Narrator Dioni Collins reflects Mariama’s tentativeness in facing the challenges of the world, but her voice shows the character’s growing confidence and strength as her journey progresses. The two narrators effectively draw the contrasts between the two women, helping the listener follow the plot as their lives come together. J.E.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine
