Misinterpretation -- Ledia Xhoga, Paperback

In present-day New York City, an Albanian interpreter reluctantly agrees to work with Alfred, a Kosovar torture survivor, during his therapy sessions. Despite her husband's cautions, she soon becomes entangled in her clients' struggles: Alfred's nightmares stir up her own buried memories, and an impulsive attempt to help a Kurdish poet leads to a risky encounter and a reckless plan.

As ill-fated decisions stack up, jeopardizing the nameless narrator's marriage and mental health, she takes a spontaneous trip to reunite with her mother in Albania, where her life in the United States is put into stark relief. When she returns to face the consequences of her actions, she must question what is real and what is not. Ruminative and propulsive, Ledia Xhoga's debut novel, Misinterpretation, interrogates the darker legacies of family and country, and the boundary between compassion and self-preservation.

Author: Ledia Xhoga
Publisher: Tin House
Published: 09/03/2024
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.60lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.50w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9781959030805

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 08/01/2024
BookPage 09/01/2024

About the Author
Ledia Xhoga is an Albanian American fiction writer and playwright. Before getting an MFA in fiction from Texas State University, she worked in publishing in New York City. She has been published in Intrepid Times, Hobart, KGB magazine, and other journals. Originally from Tirana, Albania, she lives with her family in Brooklyn and the Catskills.