Set largely in Lourenco Marques, as the capital of Mozambique was known before it achieved independence from its colonial masters in Portugal, this is a novel very much about divisions ? between mother and daughter, husband and wife, black and white, Africa and Portugal, the haves and the have nots - and about what it means to be an immigrant, always torn between home and homeland. Gita loves Mozambique, while her mother, Amelia, who came from Portugal in search of a better life, longs to be part of the wealthy Portuguese elite who take tea in expensive hotels and attend garden parties. Teolinda Gersao paints an evocative picture of childhood in Africa and the stark contrast between warm, lush, ebullient Mozambique and the bleak, poor, priggish Portugal of Salazar. AUTHOR: Teolinda Gersao is the author of twelve novels and short story collections, which have been translated into eleven languages. Her work has brought her many prizes, including the Pen Club Prize fro best novel, the Literature Prize from the International Critics' Literacy Association and the Grand Prix for Novel and Short Story from the Portuguese Writers Association. The Wood Tree is the first of her novels to be published in English. *
