the good daughter

PRIZE ALERT! amra pajalic has won the civic choice award in the melbourne prize for literature, awarded today. this is a prize voted by the public (meaning she's the most popular!). there were 2,400 votes (online and in person) and amra came out on top for her fantastic novel the good daughter (text publishing).
the good daughter is the hilarious and heartfelt story of sammie (or sabiha) who has had to move with her mum from thornbury back to st albans, back to the bosnian community she all but left as a small child. dido, her widowed grandfather, has come from bosnia to live with them.

sammie's mum has also decided to re-integrate herself with the tight-knit bosnian muslim community there, which comes as a shock to sammie (now sabiha once again) after her fairly secular and relaxed upbringing. at her new school she makes friends with two delightfully oddball boys but finds it difficult to connect with her annoying cousin adnan (golden boy of the family) and most of the girls there, who have been close for sometime and are reluctant to accept a newcomer.

at home sammie is struggling with her grandfather's strict beliefs and it's upsetting when she gets very little support from her mum, who just wants them to fit right in.

this is a great coming-of-age, fitting-in, culture-shock story, very funny and engaging.

congratulations amra!