Eve out of Her Ruins by Ananda Devi

The Mauritian author talks about four teenagers in Port Louis, four young people who wish to flee their doomed neighborhood, growing up too quickly as they become increasingly confident that they would never be able to go. Eve is the novel's focal point, the captivating girl eager to sell her body to survive, with Savita by her side, steady and kind. Saadiq observes Eve from afar, his poetry stumbling in the poisonous macho teen environment he inhabits, while rebellious Clélio fantasizes of his brother eventually transporting him over the water to France. This tale about sapphic love, teenage hopes dashed by imperialist and racist power systems, and a world designed to shatter young people is both tragic and beautiful.

Ananda Devi tells the story of four young Mauritians caught in their country's never-ending cycle of terror and violence with terrible honesty and beautiful passion. Eve out of Her Ruins is a devastating glimpse at Mauritius that visitors don't see, as well as an investigation of the creation of personhood on society's outskirts.

Translated by: Jeffrey Zuckerman
Link to read: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32068085