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In the middle of the night in early April 1994, Arsene, an eight-year old Rwandan boy, flees his village as shouts and gunshots draw near. Carrying only a battered suitcase of his father's, hastily packed with a few essential items by his grandmother-who along with the rest of his family and the entire village will be massacred that night-he runs into the wilderness and wanders alone and afraid through unspeakable horrors.

Some years later, his story and that of a young writing teacher, Suzanne, converge. Arsene, as a teenager adopted by a Parisian couple and enrolled in a private school, is prompted by the teacher's assignment to bring in a cherished family object. He chooses the battered family suitcase, and his story unfolds, first in painful increments and then in a flood of confession he can only reveal by dictation. Suzanne in turn is reeling from the death of her father and loss of her own childhood home. The two find a deep, emotional connection that transcends race, history, and geography.

Yasmine Ghata is the author of several novels, including The Night of the Calligraphers, for which she received the Prince Pierre of Monaco Discovery Award, the Granzon Cavour Prize in Italy, and the Lebanese Kadmos Prize. She is the daughter of the renowned Turkish-Lebanese poet Venus Khoury-Ghata.

Gabrielle de Cuir, award-winning narration, has narrated over two hundred titles and specializes in fantasy, humor, and titles requiring extensive foreign language and accent skills. She was a cowinner of the Audie Award for best narration in 2011 and a three-time finalist for the Audie and has garnered six AudioFile Earphones Awards. Her velvet touch as an actor's director has earned her a special place in the audiobook world as the foremost producer for bestselling authors and celebrities.