“Heidi Durrow's first novel stunned me, and partially broke my heart. The vivid voices kept me reading. Ms. Durrow has created a resonant world all her own.”
“Heidi Durrow is a wonderfully gifted writer who can summon a voice, a memorable character with bold, swift strokes. The Girl Who Fell from the Sky is a gem.”
“Artfully constructed and beautifully written, The Girl Who Fell from the Sky is at once a meditation on race and those who bridge its arbitrary distinctions, and a mystery that involves and holds the reader to the very last page. ”
“As exquisitely written as a poem . . . An achingly powerful exploration of family, love and race, from a brilliantly talented author.”
“A remarkable novel [that] unfolds its secrets with the perfect placement of a mystery.”
“Echoes of the early Toni Morrison . . . one of the most convincing, original, and moving novels in the distinguished canon of American interracial literature.”
“An unforgettable novel . . . that engages the heart.”
“[A] breathless telling of a tale we've never heard before. Haunting and lovely, pitch-perfect.”
A timely and moving bicultural coming-of-age tale about the daughter of a Danish immigrant and a black G.I. A beauty with light brown skin and blue eyes, she attracts much attention in her new home. The world wants to see her as either black or white, but that's not how she sees herself.
Meanwhile, a mystery unfolds, revealing the terrible truth about Rachel's last morning on a Chicago rooftop. Interwoven with her voice are those of Jamie, a neighborhood boy who witnessed the events, and Laronne, a friend of Rachel's mother.
Inspired by a true story of a mother's twisted love, The Girl Who Fell from the Sky reveals an unfathomable past and explores issues of identity at a time when many people are asking "Must race confine us and define us?"
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Winner of the 2008 Bellwether Prize for Fiction
The Bellwether Prize, established by Barbara Kingsolver and awarded in even-numbered years, is the only major North American prize that specifically advocates literary fiction addressing issues of social justice.
The prize is awarded to a previously unpublished novel representing excellence in this genre. Find out more.
