Book of the Week: MISINTERPRETATION by Ledia Xhoga
“A Kosovan torture survivor requests translation assistance at his therapy sessions. The novel’s narrator, a nameless translator, reluctantly agrees. But Alfred’s account of his experiences conjures hidden memories that seep into her psyche, forcing her to question her marriage and her place in the world. This is a story of a woman saddled between her Albanian past and her New York present. It explores the way that language is kept in our bodies, how it can reveal truths we aren’t ready to hear. Misinterpretation subtly blurs the distinction between help and harm. We found it propulsive, unsettling, and strangely human.” —Booker Prize judges’ citation