This Hostel Life - by Melatu Uche Okorie (Paperback)

About the Book

This Hostel Life tells the stories of migrant women in a hidden Ireland. From a day in the life of women queuing for basic supplies in an Irish direct provision hostel to a young black woman's depiction of everyday racism in Ireland, Melatu Uche Okorie's nuanced writing shines a light on the injustice of the direct provision system and on the insidious racism experienced by migrant women living in Ireland. A third story, set in a Nigeria of the past, tells of a woman's life destroyed by an ancient superstition and her fierce determination to carry on, a quality Okorie believes is universally shared by women. An essay by Liam Thornton (UCD School of Law) is also included, explaining the Irish legal position in relation to asylum seekers and direct provision.

Book Synopsis

SHORTLISTED FOR THE AN POST IRISH BOOK AWARDS SUNDAY INDEPENDENT NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR

'A landmark book by an important new voice in Irish writing'EMILIE PINE

THIS HOSTEL LIFE tells the stories of migrant women in a hidden Ireland.

Queuing for basic supplies in an Irish direct provision hostel, a group of women squabble and mistrust each other, learning what they can of the world from conversations about reality television and Shakespeare. In another story, a student shares her work with a class only to be critiqued about her own lived experience, and a mother of young twins, living in Nigeria, is at risk of losing her newborns to ancient superstitious beliefs.

An essay by Liam Thornton (UCD School of Law) is also included, explaining the Irish legal position in relation to asylum seekers and direct provision.

'Fresh, devastating stories . . . Okorie writes with uncomfortable clarity about things we think we already know' LIA MILLS

'Melatu Uche Okorie has important things to say - and she does it quite brilliantly' RODDY DOYLE

From the Back Cover

'Melatu Uche Okorie has important things to say - and she does it quite brilliantly. Her language is arresting and inventive, and very entertaining' Roddy Doyle

This Hostel Life tells the stories of migrant women in a hidden Ireland.

Queuing for basic supplies in an Irish direct provision hostel, a group of women squabble and mistrust each other, learning what they can of the world from conversations about reality television and Shakespeare. In another story, a student shares her work with a class only to be critiqued about her own lived experience, and a mother of young twins, living in Nigeria, is at risk of losing her new-borns to ancient superstitious beliefs.

An essay by Liam Thornton (UCD School of Law) is also included, explaining the Irish legal position in relation to asylum seekers and direct provision.

'A landmark book by an important new voice in Irish writing; these are the stories we need to read' Emilie Pine

Review Quotes

A landmark book by an important new voice in Irish writing; these are the stories we need to read--Emilie Pine

These fresh, devastating stories are compelling. Melatu Uche Okorie writes with uncomfortable clarity about things we think we already know. She takes us to places we might not want to go within ourselves and to worlds we haven't seen before in Irish writing--Lia Mills

These stories are vitally important. I loved them--Marian Keyes

A marvellous book and a wonderful writer--Sebastian Barry

Melatu Uche Okorie has important things to say - and she does it quite brilliantly. Her language is arresting and inventive, and very entertaining--Roddy Doyle

About the Author

Melatu Uche Okorie is a writer and scholar. Born in Nigeria, she moved to Ireland in 2006. It was during her eight and a half years living in the direct provision system that she began to write. She has an M. Phil. in Creative Writing from Trinity College, Dublin. She is currently studying for a PhD in Education at Trinity College, Dublin. This Hostel Life is her first book.