They Dream in Gold by Mai Sennaar
SHORTLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE 2024
“Extraordinary . . . a powerful and poignant exploration of the African diaspora and global Black identity . . . This book moves like the storm Sennaar begins it with.” —New York Times
A Real Simple Best Book of 2024 • A Washington Post Best Book of Summer • A TIME Best Book of July
A “luminous” (Tara Conklin) literary debut following two dreamers, one intercultural family, and the diasporic pursuit of home.
- Sale Date
- ISBN
- 9781638932796
- Page Count
- 432
- Language
- English
- Dimensions
- 5½ x 8¼
- Imprint
- SJP Lit
Meet the Author
Mai Sennaar
SHORTLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE 2024
“Extraordinary . . . a powerful and poignant exploration of the African diaspora and global Black identity . . . This book moves like the storm Sennaar begins it with.” —New York Times
A Real Simple Best Book of 2024 • A Washington Post Best Book of Summer • A TIME Best Book of July
A “luminous” (Tara Conklin) literary debut following two dreamers, one intercultural family, and the diasporic pursuit of home.
When Bonnie and Mansour meet in New York in 1968—his piercing gaze in a downtown jazz club threatening to carry her away—their connection is undeniable. Both from fractured homes, with childhoods spent crossing the Atlantic, they quickly find peace with each other. And as Mansour’s soaring Senegalese melodies continue to break new ground, keeping time with the sound of revolution and taking him and Bonnie from Paris to Rio and Switzerland, it seems as though happiness might finally be around the corner for them both.
Then Mansour goes missing. His Spanish tour was only meant to last three weeks, but three months later, he and his band have not returned. In his absence, Bonnie reckons with her memories of him, and comes to understand that the hopes of so many women—her mother and grandmother; his mother, aunt, childhood friend—rest on her perseverance. Stirred by the life growing inside her, Bonnie puts a plan in action to find him.
Spanning two decades and moving through the hotbeds of the African diaspora, They Dream in Gold is an epic yet intimate exploration of the migrant hunger for belonging and a powerful, intergenerational testament to our shared humanity, for lovers of Tara Stringfellow’s Memphis and Abi Daré’s The Girl with the Louding Voice.
“Epic and hauntingly beautiful.” ―Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai
“Wholly original.” ―Thao Thai
"One of the most beautiful debuts I’ve ever read.” ―Dawnie Walton
“Extraordinary . . . a powerful and poignant exploration of the African diaspora and global Black identity . . . This book moves like the storm Sennaar begins it with.” —New York Times
A Real Simple Best Book of 2024 • A Washington Post Best Book of Summer • A TIME Best Book of July
A “luminous” (Tara Conklin) literary debut following two dreamers, one intercultural family, and the diasporic pursuit of home.
When Bonnie and Mansour meet in New York in 1968—his piercing gaze in a downtown jazz club threatening to carry her away—their connection is undeniable. Both from fractured homes, with childhoods spent crossing the Atlantic, they quickly find peace with each other. And as Mansour’s soaring Senegalese melodies continue to break new ground, keeping time with the sound of revolution and taking him and Bonnie from Paris to Rio and Switzerland, it seems as though happiness might finally be around the corner for them both.
Then Mansour goes missing. His Spanish tour was only meant to last three weeks, but three months later, he and his band have not returned. In his absence, Bonnie reckons with her memories of him, and comes to understand that the hopes of so many women—her mother and grandmother; his mother, aunt, childhood friend—rest on her perseverance. Stirred by the life growing inside her, Bonnie puts a plan in action to find him.
Spanning two decades and moving through the hotbeds of the African diaspora, They Dream in Gold is an epic yet intimate exploration of the migrant hunger for belonging and a powerful, intergenerational testament to our shared humanity, for lovers of Tara Stringfellow’s Memphis and Abi Daré’s The Girl with the Louding Voice.
“Epic and hauntingly beautiful.” ―Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai
“Wholly original.” ―Thao Thai
"One of the most beautiful debuts I’ve ever read.” ―Dawnie Walton
Praise for They Dream in Gold
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“Extraordinary . . . a powerful and poignant exploration of the African diaspora and global Black identity . . . This book moves like the storm Sennaar begins it with, revealing how we are all interlinked in a global community, just as these characters, timelines and narratives are entangled.”
New York Times -
“Wow. What a book! They Dream in Gold is a gorgeous symphony of voices and cities and art, tied together by a stunning love story and a mysterious disappearance. In luminous language, with characters who sweat, bleed and sing, Mai Sennaar has written a debut that soars and kept me turning pages long after my bedtime. What a thrill to read a new writer with this much heart and vision.”
Tara Conklin, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Romantics -
“Throughout this sweeping story, a vivid ensemble of women’s voices express the search for home. Playwright and filmmaker Sennaar has created a cast of inedible characters, from Paris to Brazil to Switzerland, and across America, to populate this rich debut novel about Black identity.”
Center for Fiction (First Novel Prize 2024 Shortlist)
About the Imprint
Gorgeous, big-hearted, and thought-provoking stories—acquired and championed by Sarah Jessica Parker herself. All curated with the passion of a lifelong reader turned publisher.
