Additional information
by Mona Arshi (Author)
Shortlisted for the 2022 Goldsmiths Prize
Shortlisted for the 2022 Jhalak Prize
Longlisted for the 2022 Republic of Consciousness Prize
Longlisted for the 2022 Desmond Elliott Prize
A teacher asked me a question, and
I opened my mouth as a sort of formality but closed it softly, knowing with
perfect certainty that nothing would ever come out again.
Ruby gives up talking at a young age. Her mother isn't always there to notice; she comes and goes and goes and comes, until, one day, she doesn't. Silence becomes Ruby's refuge, sheltering her from the weather of her mother's mental illness and a pressurized suburban atmosphere.
Plangent, deft, and sparkling with wry humour, Somebody Loves You is a moving exploration of how we choose or refuse to tell the stories that shape us.
Author Biography
Mona Arshi was born in West London, where she still lives. She worked as a human rights lawyer with Liberty for a decade before receiving a master's in creative writing from the University of East Anglia. Her debut poetry collection Small Hands was published in 2015, winning the Forward Prize for Best First Collection. Mona Arshi regularly appears on BBC Radio 4. Her poems have been published in The Sunday Times, The Guardian and the Times of India and most recently the London Underground.
