A propulsive, kaleidoscopic novel about a fractured family and the
persistence of hope.
One night, seventeen-year-old Wolf steals his mother's car and drives
six hundred kilometers in search of his sister, who left home ten years
ago. Unlicensed and on edge, he veers onto the wrong side of the road
and causes an accident. He is arrested and incarcerated, forcing his
mother and sister to reconnect and pick up the pieces in order to fight
for his release.
What follows is a lyrical, precise, and unflinching account of the
events that led to this moment, told through the alternating
perspectives of Wolf's mother, sister, and grandfather, as well as the
doctor who was present at Wolf's birth. With each chapter, new versions
of the story and views of reality unfold, and they fit together like
puzzle pieces: in an uncertain order at first, and then slowly falling
neatly into place as the pages turn. As details about the characters'
lives and the disconnections in their relationships are revealed, the
story becomes even more propulsive, even more compelling.
In this raw and poignant novel, Nathacha Appanah considers how trauma
shapes generations and the wounds it leaves behind. The Sky above the
Roof is both a portrait of a fractured family and a poetic exploration
of the ways we break apart and rebuild.
