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Strangerland

The sweeping debut novel about the power of love, from the award-winning writer

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Strangerland

By: Monika Radojevic
Narrated by: Monika Radojevic
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Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

London, 1990. Zivoin is newly arrived in a strange country. The dependable oldest son, he works all hours of the day and night, sending every penny he can save back to his family. On the news, he watches his homeland, Yugoslavia, slowly fracturing.

Thousands of miles away, in the tropical heat of Uberlândia, Brazil, Alegria prepares to leave behind the country – and the family – she loves dearly. Bright and ambitious, she strives to give her parents the life they deserve, even if it takes her far from them.

A chance meeting throws Alegria and Zivoin together – and for a brief moment, they feel at home. But their journey is just beginning, and what follows will draw them irresistibly across countries and continents, leaving them both forever changed.

The powerful, exhilarating debut novel from an award-winning new voice in fiction, Strangerland is a heartfelt testament to the endurance that has come to define a generation of immigrants. Above all, it is a soaring, emotionally rich story about the power of love to transcend languages, borders and time.

© Monika Radojevic 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

 City Life Coming of Age Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Urban Heartfelt
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Critic reviews

STRANGERLAND is a beautiful, vivid, gut-punch of a novel about hope, sacrifice and love without borders. Radojevic shows us in passionate, powerful prose that home is the people, not the place, and weaves an unforgettable story of devotion and belonging. An enthralling debut. (EMMA STONEX)

This beautiful, beautiful novel is also a story of strength beyond understanding and resoluteness when hopelessness seems inevitable and is therefore a testament to Monika Radojevic’s ability to make you feel and hold the fear and strength and worry and hope that her characters do on every single page. Strangerland is a wonderful and remarkable novel that I would happily read all over again.

(ORE AGBAJE-WILLIAMS, author of THE THREE OF US)
Passionate and powerful, a love story that will grip you until the very end (ABIGAIL BERGSTROM, author of WHAT A SHAME)
A classic in the making. The uncompromising love of Alegria and Zivoin will leave your heart tender, your cheeks wet and your hands wringing the necks of every bureaucrat who dare get in the way of true love (Katie Baskerville, author of BEYOND BELIEF)
Radojevic’s novel based on her parents’ experiences rings true on every level: as an account of real characters, of the constant ache familiar to everyone who makes a life distant from their homes and families, on identity and prejudice and friendships forged under pressure and, above all, in its glorious depiction of love (Catherine Mayer, author of ATTACK OF THE 50 FT. WOMEN)
A powerful and emotional novel which spans continents and will have you so immersed you'll be devouring it in one sitting
Rooted in actual events, this compelling and deeply moving novel traverses multiple continents and proves so absorbing you'll find yourself racing through it
[Radojevic's] spirited prose invigorates this testament to love's fortitude in a tumultuous world
All stars
Most relevant
Strangerland by Monika Radojevic is an important and deeply human read, particularly for those of us fortunate enough to live in countries where rights, freedoms and social structures offer protection and stability.

This book is a powerful reminder that behind every difficult choice lies a personal story, often shaped by the instinct to protect and provide for those we love. It challenges us to look beyond headlines and assumptions and to recognise the complex realities individuals face.

It is also a book that those in positions of power should carry with them, especially when leaving negotiating tables where the possibility of peace depends on empathy, understanding and compromise.

A deeply human read

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