Van der Kwast, E: Giovanna's Navel

A scintillating collection from the award-winning author of 'The Ice-Cream Makers' and 'Mama Tandoori'. The vivid characters in these stories share lives marked by coincidences, deeply felt passions, impulsive decisions, and missed opportunities. There's Ezio, a lonely apple-picker dangerously obsessed with spirited teenager Giovanna. Heinrich is a quiet ticket inspector who watches his passengers live their lives as he longs for a meaningful connection of his own. Klaus is a young man reflecting on his first unrequited love, Eva. And Paul's experiences of loss bring him to a new life.

Ernest van der Kwast is a Dutch author born in Mumbai, India, in 1981. He made his debut in 2005 with the novel
Sometimes Things Are Better When People Applaud. His breakthrough book is
Mama Tandoori, which became a bestseller in the Netherlands and Italy upon publication, and has to date sold more than 100,000 copies.
Giovanna's Navel is the third of his books to be published in English. He lives in Rotterdam.

Laura Vroomen was born in the Netherlands and now lives and works in London. She was educated at the University of Amsterdam and Warwick University, and spent several years teaching English literature and cultural studies before switching to translation.