ABOUT THE BOOK

Sammar is a young Sudanese widow working as an Arabic translator in a British university. Following the sudden death of her husband, and estranged from her young son, she drifts - grieving, isolated and exiled from the warmth and colours of her home.

Slowly life returns when she finds herself falling in love with Rae, a Scottish academic. Twice divorced and a self-proclaimed cynic, to Sammar he seems to come from another world. Separated by culture and faith, but drawn to each other, this is a story about love, both human and divine.

Born in 1964, Leila Aboulela grew up in Khartoum, moving to London in her mid-twenties. She now lives and works in Aberdeen. The Translator is her first novel.