Lisa Ray Instagram – Picked up #WhenWeWereSisters after reading it won the inaugural Carol Shields prize for fiction. I’ve had a good run of reads in the last few months and was on the lookout for my next. Wasn’t familiar with @asgharthegrouch work, though they are accomplished on multiple levels. This debut novel is startling on so many levels. Lyrical but spare, not a single word is superfluous or out of place. The story centres on three orphaned Muslim American siblings who have lost everything and have to contend with growing up in a world shaped by their bonds and sisterhood while the world imposes perils and judgements. What struck me is how the author conjured worlds from from a single line, how the story telling is a triumph of form, blending at times poetry, free verse, a word typed over and over, the repetition a prayer. It’s a remarkable book (confession: I’m half way through) that feels very personal without being overwrought. Thank you for writing the heart, the history and the healing. #whenweweresisters