My Hummingbird Father

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My Hummingbird Father

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“Petit is a passionate laureate of the natural world, but alive to the cruelty of human depredation.”

Aingeal Clare, The Guardian

“My Hummingbird Father shatters and heals, distils redemption out of a history of pain and abuse, and is one of the most affecting books you will read this year. Petit’s jewelled sentences, rich in imagery and inspiration from the natural world, weave tiny, beautiful lessons from sparrows, captive jaguars and broken humans together into a stunning, unforgettable tapestry.”

Nilanjana Roy

“I am in love with this book! Haunting, grotesque, lush and strangely tender. A stunning debut novel, afraid of nothing and deeply poetic.”

Warsan Shire

“The novel is a redemption song and an ode to the lost innocence of childhood. Petit’s writing is as vivid as Dominique’s brushstrokes.”

Sana Goyal, The Guardian

“It’s unsurprisingly poetic, full of lyrical, luscious descriptions of the rainforest and shot through with magic realism. I loved it.”

Sara Lawrence, Daily Mail

A beautifully lyrical debut novel in dialogue with the author’s Ondaatje and Laurel Prize-winning poetry collection, Mama Amazonica.

When artist Dominique receives a letter from her dying father, a reckoning with repressed memories and a pull for romantic and familial love sends shockwaves through her life, as she journeys to Paris to face the places and events of her early years. Balanced with visits to the Venezuelan Amazon, a raw and tender unfolding love story runs parallel to the uncovering of the shocking truth of Dominique’s birth, and her parents’ relationship.

Urgent, haunting and topical, packed with imagery and incidents connecting damaged lives to a damaged world, My Hummingbird Father is an intimate tale of suffering and reconciliation. It will delight Petit’s wide existing audience and introduce new readers to her work through this deeply relatable and unforgettable novel.