On Wednesday, Sept. 17, Byrd’s Books will host author Vanessa Manko to talk about and sign copies of her novel, “The Invention of Exile.” The event begins at around 4 p.m.
A Brookfield native, Manko, who now lives in Brooklyn, holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Hunter College. She has taught writing at New York University and State University of New York, Purchase.
A starred review from “Kirkus” says calls her novel “A superb study of statelessness.” The review continues,
“Manko is a tremendous stylist, using clipped, simple sentences to capture Austin’s mindset as his confidence in escape erodes but never entirely fades; Manko’s shift in perspective toward the end of the book reveals just how much the years of exile have weathered him. She deeply explores two complicated questions: What is the impact of years of lacking a country? And how much does this lack reside in our imaginations? A top-notch debut, at once sober and lively and provocative.”
About the book: In 1913, Austin Voronkov, an engineer and inventor, moves from Russia to Bridgeport, Conn. where he gets a job at a rifle factory. He meets and falls in love with Julia. After Austin is wrongly accused of attending anarchist gatherings, he and his bride are sent back to Russian, where they become embroiled in the Civil War and are obliged to feel again, this time to Mexico.
Julia and the couple’s three children are able to eventually return to the U.S. but Austin is left behind. Austin and Julia's struggles to stay a family across the many miles that separate them build to crisis and heartrending resolution in this debut novel that is based in part on Manko's family history and the life of a grandfather she never knew. Manko used this history as a jumping off point for the novel, which focuses on borders between the past and present, sanity and madness and also explores how loss reshapes and transforms lives. It is a deeply moving testament to the enduring power of family and the meaning of home.