Join us to celebrate the publication of the English translation of Adikou by Raphaëlle Red . Arboretum Books is a new locally based independent publisher, devoted to stories of stylistic daring and universal relevance that introduce English-language readers to new voices from across Europe. Raphaëlle will be talking to Booker prize-winner Bernardine Evaristo A mesmerising debut road novel that explores the ghosts of the colonial past, the complexities of mixed-race identity, and the unsettling search for a sense of home. Adikou’s lineage is blurry, her family history hazy. During an unbearably hot summer, she finds herself needing to escape Paris. Adikou flies to Lomé, Togo, the birthplace of her father – who is almost a stranger. While she doesn’t know what she’s looking for, everyone else seems to have questions for her: Are you white, Black, or both? Do you speak Ewe? Are you traveling alone? And where does all your anger come from? From the West African coast all the way to the United States, Adikou searches for her place in history, crafting a legacy made of snakeskins, skylines, and sticky nights. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Raphaëlle Red , born in Paris in 1997 and raised in Berlin, is an author and researcher. She studied social sciences in France and then turned to literary writing. Most recently, she researched and taught contemporary literature of the African diaspora at the Freie Universität of Berlin. ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR Sophie Marie Niang is a writer, researcher and translator based in North London. She teaches social sciences at King’s College London.

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