Nathacha Appanah is just really, really good, and this book (I believe) her second to be translated into English is every bit as wonderful in its way as The Lost Brother. Waiting for Tomorrow is lyrical, tragic and just really solid as a literary novel. Keep 'em coming. ( )

Waiting for Tomorrow tells the story of Adam and Anita, who meet at a party in Paris, both feeling out of place and hiding in the same corner. Adam, an artist and craftsperson, is from the Basque region on the SW French coast. Anita, an inspiring writer, is originally from Mauritius. They fall in love and move to the country, where both thrive and pursue their creative goals. After their daughter is born, they become more practical and move away from their artistic pursuits, and over time this begins to strain the marriage.

Enter Adéle, an illegal immigrant from Mauritius, who comes with her own story, and who they hire to help in the household. Adele seems to bring harmony and renewal with her, the marriage is renewed under her spell, but liberties are taken that leads to tragedy.

This beautiful and tragic story is written in a prose that has a kind of seductive rhythm and resonance to it, which heightens its emotional depth and melts the reader into it.

"Night has fallen on the forest, the house breathes softly like a great animal in a deep sleep. Adam is washing dishes. On the table lie newspapers, mail, papers of various kinds, a doll, a teddy bear, a bunch of keys. Two felt pens without their caps. Faded peonies stand in brownish water that gives off a smell of sickly sweet decay, their petal scattered around the vase."

One might remember Appanah's previously translated book, The Last Brother, which was well-regarded here on LT, at least in the circles I travel. I gave it five stars, so I wondered if this new translated novel could hold up to that one. Comparing novels, even those by the same author, is often a futile exercise, so I will just say that this is also a short, beautifully translated book, a different story, and another very worthy read. ( )