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Where You Come From
Where You Come From
Jan 16, 2026 3:39 AM

Author:Sasa Stanisic,Damion Searls

Where You Come From

A powerful exploration of identity and belonging, Where You Come From is the major new novel from internationally acclaimed and bestselling author Saša Stanišic

Saša Stanišic's Where You Come From is a novel about a village where only thirteen people remain, a country that no longer exists, a shattered family that is his own. Blending autofiction, fable, and choose-your-own-adventure, Stanišic traces a family's escape during the conflict in Yugoslavia, and the years that followed as they built a life in Germany. As he explores what it means to be European today, he examines how it feels to learn a new language, to find new friends and new jobs, and to build an identity between countries and cultures.

Translated by Damion Searls, Where You Come From is about homelands, both remembered and imagined. A book that bends form and genre with wit, heart, and exceptional craftsmanship to explore questions that lie inside all of us: about language and shame, about arrival and making it just in time, about luck and death, about what role our origins and memories play in our lives.

'Wonderfully inventive and impressive.' - Guardian

Reviews

A triumph, funny and touching and subtly profound... it builds a momentum that dazzles throughout. An exhilarating and powerful read.

—— Jennifer Croft

Stanišic is a poet and revolutionary who has found his true home in language.

—— Rolling Stone

Wonderfully inventive and impressive.

—— Guardian

Offensively gifted... Some kind of freak genius.

—— Irish Examiner

Stanišic is an exceptionally talented, impish and caring writer who has walked the edge of the abyss.

—— LA Times

It is easy to say that a book is important; this one - especially now, especially here - is of great importance.

—— Die Welt

[A] brilliant novel... wonderfully alive, vital in its depiction of family life... The book's conclusion...is a bravura, sustained and singular piece of writing that bursts with wit, heart and empathy... all of which land deftly in Damion Searl's excellent translation.

—— Stuart Evers , Observer

Where You Come From...is most powerful in its gentle undoing of what learning a new dialect might seem... Stanìšic's prose is calm, persuasively so.

—— Elliot Hoste , New Statesman

It's the perfect time of year to read this book - the dark nights, cold weather and the noises that houses make as they settle down for the winter are the ideal backdrop for this genre. I do hope Maclean writes more stories like this, I am very keen to read what comes next. *Please let there be another!*

—— Female First

Pacing is intense, I was on the edge of my seat from the moment Tim got to that manor until the end. Maclean's writing style fits the horror genre perfectly and it was a great debut novel, not to mention it sets the bar very high for him on his next book!

—— Caffeinated Reader

The atmosphere of this novel is effective, an example of using a kind of listless 70s landscape to explore the supernatural, growing up, and trauma (70s British gothic should be a genre by now, if it isn't already). There's a good balance between actual malevolent spirits and what is realistic troubles from non-supernatural life, making it a book less focusing on jumpy scares than a lingering sense of bleakness. This probably made it an unintentionally good read for the week before Halloween at a time when there's plenty of real life horrors going on.

—— Fiendfully Reading

Set in 1970s Suffolk, it's a riot of references that will thrill the disquieted children of the era ... a twisting and chilling story ... the perfect Ghost Story for Christmas 2020.

—— Fortean Times

This eerie novel is a splendid, compelling tribute to the era that inspired it

—— The Herald

Clear your diary, switch off your phone, and get lost in this atmospheric and madly gripping ghost story. You won't sleep until you find out - and you won't sleep afterwards, either

—— Daily Mirror

'[A] gorgeously crafted novel'

—— The Washington Post

A sweet, charming and wonderfully astute take on humanity and its foibles, this is gorgeous storytelling

—— Psychologies, Book of the Month

The Lincoln Highway is a joyride...[a] delightful tour de force .. There's so much to enjoy in this generous novel packed with fantastic characters

—— NPR.org

Following the runaway success of A Gentleman in Moscow, Amor Towles returns with his third major novel, and we're pleased to say it's another stunner... A gem of a book

—— Woman and Home, Book of the Month

[The Lincoln Highway] is reason to rejoice for Towles's millions of fans, who made his first two novels, Rules of Civility and A Gentleman in Moscow, runaway international bestsellers

—— The Millions

Towles' third novel is even more entertaining than his much-acclaimed A Gentleman in Moscow (2016)... A remarkable blend of sweetness and doom, Towles' novel is packed with revelations about the American myth, the art of storytelling, and the unrelenting pull of history. An exhilarating ride through Americana.

—— Kirkus starred review

"[The] notion of American openness, of ever-fractalizing free will, coming up against the fickle realities of fate is the tension that powers Towles' exciting, entertaining [...] picaresque . . . Stories can bring us back to ourselves, Towles seems to say, if only we are open to receiving their power . . . Anyone who follows The Lincoln Highway will relish the trip

—— Los Angeles Times

An enthralling odyssey

—— People

Absorbing

—— USA Today

A wild ride through Americana

—— BuzzFeed

History [and] adventure collide in The Lincoln Highway . . . The pace is fast and writing concise, making it a digestible read whether in bed or at a loud coffee shop

—— Associated Press

Magnificent . . . Towles is a supreme storyteller, and this one-of-a-kind kind of novel isn't to be missed

—— Publishers Weekly

[A] playfully thought-provoking novel . . . [Towles] juggles the pieces of his plot deftly, shifting from voice to voice, skirting sentimentality and quirkiness with a touch of wistful regret, and leading up to an ending that is bound to provoke discussion

—— Booklist

A new author to me- but I'll be reading Amor's A Gentlemen in Moscow, as I was blown away by this... A heartfelt read, one that makes me think of coming of age film Stand By Me

—— Prima

A natural storyteller, Towles keeps the plot ticking over nicely in a solid holiday listen destined for the big screen

—— Irish Examiner

A perfect paperback

—— The Herald

A book to lose yourself in

—— Muddy Stilettos
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