Someone Like Us

by Dinaw Mengestu

1 minute read

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Award-winning author Dinaw Mengestu’s fourth novel, Someone Like Us, is a surreal exploration of self-discovery. Seeking solace from his floundering marriage, journalist Mamush returns to his Ethiopian mother’s home in the Virginia suburbs only to discover that Samuel, his charming but troubled father figure, has unexpectedly died. Mamush finds himself tracing Samuel’s immigration journey, searching for clues to understand his suspicious passing. In this introspective novel that tackles migration, oppression, and connection, the secrets Mamush uncovers about Samuel’s past—sometimes with the help of the older man’s spirit—force him to wrestle with his own lies.

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