Overview

The year is 1991. Eritrea is on the verge of liberation from Ethiopian rule and in Washington, D.C.'s tight-knit Eritrean community, change is in the air. Thirteen-year-old Lydia and her family are grappling with what peace after decades of war might mean for their future, just as they welcome Berekhet-a distant cousin newly arrived from Ethiopia to attend medical school in the States. With him comes a barrage of new ideas Lydia must confront for the first time, about the stories of nationhood and family she was raised on. Meanwhile her mother, Elsa, a former rebel fighter, and the family matriarch, Mama Zewdi, must grapple with regrets long buried in the time their country has been at war. Elsa's path from Eritrea to D.C. was paved with courage and loss, and figures from her past on the front lines of battle begin to resurface. Mama Zewdi, who runs a successful injera business out of her apartment, finds herself reexamining her place in their little family for the first time, while Lydia, emboldened by Berekhet, becomes committed to uncovering the secrets of her and her mother's past-including the truth about her father, who was martyred in the war. A loving ode to an immigrant community on the cusp of a new age, I Hope You Find What You're Looking For boldly asks: How does our past define our present? And what stories must we let go of to be truly free?

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9781324092490

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Reviews

""With humor, compassion, and unflinching insight, Bsrat Mezghebe explores the ripple effect of Eritrea’s approaching liberation within a family, as well as the power of the stories we inherit as we come of age, and the tenacity and sacrifice it takes to write a new one for ourselves. A debut that glows with truth and heart."" -- Coco Mellors, New York Times best-selling author of Blue Sisters ""A luminous debut that takes us into a world of women kin—guerrilla fighters, caretakers, and daughters—during the charged final days of Eritrea’s hard-won war of independence. With prose that hums with grace and love that resists easy language, Bsrat Mezghebe captures the ache of dislocation and the complex beauty of immigrant life in America."" -- Susan Abulhawa, internationally best-selling author of Against the Loveless World ""Written with a tender heart and piercing intelligence, I Hope You Find What You’re Looking For is that novel that just won’t let you go. Bsrat Mezghebe’s prose—wise and witty, unflinchingly honest and insightful—introduces us to generations of fiercely proud and determined Eritrean women carrying memories and questions across borders and into their American lives. . . . This timely book is a must-read and a testament to Bsrat’s tremendous gifts as a writer."" -- Maaza Mengiste, author of The Shadow King, shortlisted for the Booker Prize ""A gorgeous exploration of family, identity, and the complex meanings of home. In striking prose, Bsrat Mezghebe elegantly weaves several interlacing histories with clear-eyed tenderness, showing us how intimacy and connection can form the ground that makes true freedom possible. I Hope You Find What You’re Looking For tells these stories through the eyes of a family of remarkable women whose perspectives on belonging will resonate far beyond this beautiful novel’s final lines."" -- Mecca Jamilah Sullivan, author of Big Girl

Author Information

Bsrat Mezghebe received an MFA in Creative Writing from New York University. Her writing has appeared in Guernica, The Paris Review, and the anthology Well–Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves. She lives in the Washington, D.C. area.

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