A woman plucking feathers at a chicken processing plant.

A bus driver who takes other people's kids to school.

A mother who works nights alongside her daughter harvesting worms.

A housewife learning English from daytime soap operas.

In her stunning debut, O. Henry Prize-winner Souvankham Thammavongsa captures the day-to-day lives of immigrants and refugees in a nameless city, illuminating their hopes, disappointments, love affairs, and above all, their pursuit of a place to belong.

Charging her spare, unsentimental prose with immense power, Thammavongsa honors characters struggling to find their bearings far from home, or shuttling between languages, cultures, and values.

Brutal, tender, and totally alive, How to Pronounce Knife confirms Thammavongsa as one of the most striking voices of her generation.