Asale Angel-Ajani Presents A Country You Can Leave

P&T Knitwear is pleased to welcome Asale Angel-Ajani to celebrate her debut novel, A Country You Can Leave, with a talk, audience Q&A, and book signingA Country You Can Leave is a stunning novel following the turbulent relationship of a Black, biracial teen and her ferocious Russian mother, struggling to survive in the California desert. After the talk, Asale will sign copies of her books.

PRE-ORDER YOUR SIGNED COPY OF A Country You Can Leave
AVAILABLE TO SHIP MOST PLACES
RSVP HERE

When sixteen-year-old Lara and her fiery mother, Yevgenia, find themselves homeless again, the misnamed Oasis Mobile Estates is all they can afford. In this new community, where residents are down on their luck but rich in humor and escape plans, Lara navigates what it means to be the Black, biracial daughter of a Russian mother and begins to wonder what a life beyond Yevgenia’s orbit—insistence on reading only the right kind of books (Russian), having the right kind of relationships (casual, with lots of sex)—might look like.

Lara knows that something else lies beneath her mother’s fierce, independent spirit, but Yevgenia doesn’t believe in sharing, least of all with her daughter. When a brutal attack exposes the cracks in their relationship, Lara and Yevgenia are forced to confront the family legacy of violence and the strain of inherited trauma on the bonds of their love.

A Country You Can Leave is a dazzling, sharp-witted story, suffused with yearning, as Lara and Yevgenia attempt to forge their own identities and thrive in a hostile land. Compelling and empathetic, wry and intimate, Asale Angel-Ajani’s unforgettable debut novel examines the beauty and dangers of womanhood in multiracial America.

  • This is a free in-store event with limited amphitheater-style seating
  • We encourage all guests to wear masks.
  • The talk will be followed by a book signing. Books signed at P&T Knitwear events must be purchased from P&T Knitwear. If you would like a signed copy and cannot attend the event, we’re happy to take your pre-order. We ship most places!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Asale Angel-Ajani is a writer and Professor at The City College of New York. She’s the author of the nonfiction books Strange Trade: The Story of Two Women Who Risked Everything in the International Drug Trade and Intimate: Essays on Racial Terror. She has held residencies at Millay, Djerassi, and Playa, and is an alum of VONA and Tin House. A Country You Can Leave is her first novel.











When: Fri., Feb. 24, 2023 at 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

P&T Knitwear is pleased to welcome Asale Angel-Ajani to celebrate her debut novel, A Country You Can Leave, with a talk, audience Q&A, and book signingA Country You Can Leave is a stunning novel following the turbulent relationship of a Black, biracial teen and her ferocious Russian mother, struggling to survive in the California desert. After the talk, Asale will sign copies of her books.

PRE-ORDER YOUR SIGNED COPY OF A Country You Can Leave
AVAILABLE TO SHIP MOST PLACES
RSVP HERE

When sixteen-year-old Lara and her fiery mother, Yevgenia, find themselves homeless again, the misnamed Oasis Mobile Estates is all they can afford. In this new community, where residents are down on their luck but rich in humor and escape plans, Lara navigates what it means to be the Black, biracial daughter of a Russian mother and begins to wonder what a life beyond Yevgenia’s orbit—insistence on reading only the right kind of books (Russian), having the right kind of relationships (casual, with lots of sex)—might look like.

Lara knows that something else lies beneath her mother’s fierce, independent spirit, but Yevgenia doesn’t believe in sharing, least of all with her daughter. When a brutal attack exposes the cracks in their relationship, Lara and Yevgenia are forced to confront the family legacy of violence and the strain of inherited trauma on the bonds of their love.

A Country You Can Leave is a dazzling, sharp-witted story, suffused with yearning, as Lara and Yevgenia attempt to forge their own identities and thrive in a hostile land. Compelling and empathetic, wry and intimate, Asale Angel-Ajani’s unforgettable debut novel examines the beauty and dangers of womanhood in multiracial America.

  • This is a free in-store event with limited amphitheater-style seating
  • We encourage all guests to wear masks.
  • The talk will be followed by a book signing. Books signed at P&T Knitwear events must be purchased from P&T Knitwear. If you would like a signed copy and cannot attend the event, we’re happy to take your pre-order. We ship most places!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Asale Angel-Ajani is a writer and Professor at The City College of New York. She’s the author of the nonfiction books Strange Trade: The Story of Two Women Who Risked Everything in the International Drug Trade and Intimate: Essays on Racial Terror. She has held residencies at Millay, Djerassi, and Playa, and is an alum of VONA and Tin House. A Country You Can Leave is her first novel.

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