The Blue Book of Nebo by Manon Steffan Ros is a profoundly moving young adult novella. Originally written in Welsh, it is a gentle and raw tale of a family’s survival in an isolated house in Northwest Wales after some kind of horrific disaster. The story is told through alternate journal entries written by Dylan, a young teenager, and his mother, Rowenna. They share a journal, which they call The Blue Book of Nebo, but they agree not to read each other’s entries.

Dylan’s entries focus on the present, while his mother writes about The End (what they call the bad thing that happened) and their lives prior to The End. The disparate stories shine both light and darkness on each other as the reader gets to experience a nuanced narrative in which many important truths clash and coexist.

In her slim text Manon Steffon Ros gives us a story about growth and courage and love amid loss and loneliness and suffering. Her spare precise prose leaves gaps for the reader to fill in; she trusts her audience to transact with her words. This novel also gives the reader a dystopian (or post dystopian) story that is under-girded with hope. Manon Steffan Roz translated the book herself from the Welsh into English. –Recommended by Melissa Wilson

Title in English: The Blue Book of Nebo
Original Welsh Title: Llyfr Glas Nebo
Author & Translator: Manon Steffan Ros
ISBN: 9781913102784
Publisher: Firefly
Pub. Date: 2022

Each month a committee of Worlds of Words advisors recommends a book published within the last year. Our hope is to spark conversations on our website and on social media about the book that expand global understandings and perceptions. Please join us by leaving a comment. You can also share your thoughts with us by using the hashtag #WOWRecommends on social media. Check out our alphabetical listing of all the books featured in WOW Recommends.

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• Themes: Blue Book of Nebo, Manon Steffan Ros, Melissa Wilson
• Descriptors: WOW Recommends