An addictively entertaining, internationally bestselling family saga from a National Book Award finalist.

Meet the Mikkola sisters: Ina, Evelyn, and Anastasia. Their mother is a Tunisian carpet seller, their father a mysterious Swede who left them when they were young. Ina is tall, serious, a compulsive organizer. Evelyn is dreamy, magnetic, a smooth talker. And Anastasia is moody, chaotic, a shape-shifting presence, quick to anger. Following the sisters from afar is Jonas, the son of a Swedish mother and a Tunisian father. Over the course of three decades, his life intersects with theirs, from the scene of a fighter jet crash in Stockholm to a chance encounter in Tunis. When Evelyn disappears on a trip to New York, Jonas manages to track her down—and helps her to break the curse that has been looming over the Mikkolas for decades. In the process, a shocking revelation changes everything about who they think they are.

Jonas Hassen Khemiri worked on The Sisters during his 2021-2022 Fellowship at the Library’s Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers. He will discuss his book with National Book Award–winner Tess Gunty.

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ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Jonas Hassen Khemiri is the author of six novels, seven plays, and a collection of short stories and essays. His novel The Family Clause was a finalist for the National Book Award for translated literature and received the Prix Médicis Étranger in France. Khemiri has been a finalist for Sweden’s most prestigious literary prize three times and won it once. His play Invasion! earned an Obie Award for best script. His work has been translated into more than 35 languages, and his writing has appeared in the New York Times, the New Yorker, and numerous other publications. The Sisters is his first book written in English. Khemiri lives in Brooklyn with his family and teaches creative writing at New York University.

Tess Gunty is the author of The Rabbit Hutch, which received the National Book Award for fiction. A New York Times bestseller, The Rabbit Hutch was named an essential read by the New Yorker and a best book of the year by the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, TIME, NPR, and others. Gunty teaches creative writing at New York University. Her second novel, Honeydew, is forthcoming from Knopf.

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ACCESSIBILITY

In-Person | Assistive listening devices and/or hearing loops are available at the venue. You can request a free ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation or CART (Communication Access Real-Time Translation) captioning service by emailing your request at least two weeks in advance of the event: email accessibility@nypl.org or use this Gmail template. This venue is fully accessible to wheelchairs.

Livestream | Captions and a transcript will be provided. Media used over the course of the conversation will be accompanied by alt text and/or audio description. You can request a free ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation by emailing your request at least two weeks in advance of the event: email accessibility@nypl.org or use this Gmail template.

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The Cullman Center is made possible by a generous endowment from Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman in honor of Brooke Russell Astor, with major support provided by Mrs. John L. Weinberg, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The Estate of Charles J. Liebman, The von der Heyden Family Foundation, John and Constance Birkelund, and The Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation, and with additional gifts from Helen and Roger Alcaly, The Rona Jaffe Foundation, The Arts and Letters Foundation Inc., William W. Karatz, Merilee and Roy Bostock, and Cullman Center Fellows.