The Association Of Foreign Spouses By Marilyn Heward Mills

Written By: Nicole Parker-Jones—Author Marilyn Heward Mills, the daughter of Ghanaian father and a Swiss mother, was born Switzerland and brought up in Ghana. Her first novel, Cloth Girl, was shortlisted for the prestigious Costa First Novel Award. This year, she released her second novel, The Association of Foreign Spouses. Set in Ghana in the turbulent eighties, Marilyn shares "The Association of Foreign Spouses is a story of love and friendship, betrayal and forgiveness. it is the story of a group of women who live in a land that at times defeats them, among people who often disappoint and baffle them. Through their trials and hardships, the women support each other, unified by their foreignness, their distance from home and the choices they have made, as ultimately they are wooed by this strange place that they come to call home."

The story hits close to home for Marilyn who explains, "I grew up in Accra, Ghana, surrounded by foreign women, like my own mother, who had married Ghanaian men, moved to Ghana and then stayed there raising their half-Ghanaian children. Life was not easy for these women. Most of them had difficult marriages, mainly because of the immense cultural differences, and circumstances were exacerbated further by the hardship of life in a country that during my childhood often suffered political upheaval. There were endless shortages; of petrol, water, electricity – I remember a long stretch when there was no flour and so bread became a luxury. I wanted to know why some or most of these women didn't leave it all behind. What made them stay when, I imagined at least, that they could have gone home to easier lives in Europe."

Here's a synopsis from publisher Sphere:

Marriage to a handsome Ghanaian architect has brought Eva far from the quiet English countryside. Alfred had made it sound heavenly but the hardship drained her of vitality and the foreign culture bewildered her. But Eva has her friends ? Dahlia, Yelena and Margrit ? all of them strangers in a foreign land, who rely on each other to fill the gaps left by distant relatives. When a sudden coup unnerves everyone, and Eva's relationship with Alfred begins to unravel, The Association of Foreign Spouses discover that there are dark sides to their lives and that they must scheme and deceive to protect themselves and their families. Set in Ghana in the turbulent eighties, The Association of Foreign Spouses is a story of a group of women who live in a land that at times defeats them, amongst people who often disappoint and baffle them. Yet through their trials and hardships, the women support each other, unified by their foreignness, as ultimately, they are wooed by this strange place that they come to call home.

For more information, visit www.MarilynHewardMills.com.

(Photo Credits: © Book Cover Art)