Meet Swati Avasthi
Club Book with Swati Avasthi
Tuesday, November 9, 7 PMRoseville Library, 2180 North Hamline, Roseville
Swati Avasthi has received numerous writing honors, including a Loft’s Mentor Series Award, the University of Minnesota’s Thomas Shevlin Fellowship, and DeBourg Fellowship. Her short fiction has been nominated for The Best New American Voices and a Pushcart Prize. Split, her acclaimed debut novel, is a powerful and gripping story about a teenaged boy who is thrown out of his house by an abusive father and goes to live with his older brother, who ran away from home years ago to escape the abuse. Prior to writing Split, Avasthi coordinated a domestic violence clinic, where she interviewed thousands of women who were seeking order of protection.
What do the critics say?
“A nuanced and mournful work; Avasthi is a writer to watch.” — Booklist
“Gripping and heartbreaking.” — Publishers Weekly
“Raw and intimate, dramatic and poetic.” — School Library Journal
“This taut, complex family drama depicts abuse unflinchingly but focuses on healing, growth and learning to take responsibility for one’s own anger.” — Kirkus Reviews