Sleeping in the Sun

2025 CIBA Goethe Book Awards Grand Prize Winner “A vivid depiction of India under the British Raj and an indictment of its colonizers.”—Kirkus Reviews “The ending takes one’s breath away, and its impact will linger long after the last page. Highly recommended.”—Historical Novel Society, Editors’ Choice “Joanne Howard’s Sleeping in the Sun tells the story of an American missionary family in British India with style and poise. Tension is expertly built up, and the denouement is a masterpiece of interplay between characters—erudite, elegiac, and immensely affecting. As Howard so poignantly asserts, you can’t see things that aren’t done to you.”—IndieReader, 5-star review“Sleeping in the Sun is a novel impossible to put down. A quiet cinematic study of imperialism and the scars it has left. An outstanding debut.”—Willy Vlautin, author of The Night Always Comes and The Motel Life“Large and saga-like in scope, and set in 1930s India, Joanne Howard’s Sleeping in the Sun delivers a compassionate portrayal of a missionary family as they struggle to navigate the personal and political crosscurrents of enchantment, terror, love, and deceit. What I admire most in her debut novel is the courage with which this writer lifts the masks of disguise from her characters and reveals, as if superimposed on the place itself, that secret, interior world of human emotions.”—Jack Driscoll, author of 20 Stories: New & Selected “Exquisitely rendered and highly nuanced, Joanne Howard’s debut novel, Sleeping in the Sun, immerses readers into the world of young American Gene Hinton as he comes of age in rural India in the 1930s. Battling inner and outer demons, Gene forms a unique bond with the Hintons’ Indian servant, Arthur, and gains an eye into life’s underbelly. Sumptuously written and detailed, this novel is destined to become a classic. A triumph!”—Ashley E. Sweeney, author of Eliza Waite “In this gorgeously written book, Joanne Howard explores the corrupting influence of power, both within the family structure and the broader world. Rich with sensory details and vividly drawn characters both human and animal, Sleeping in the Sun is a stunning novel that grabs your emotions and doesn’t let go.”—Ginny Kubitz Moyer, author of A Golden Life “With meticulous attention to detail, Howard paints a vivid portrait of colonial India through the perspectives of an American family and their Indian servant, skillfully blending historical events with familial moments. Through the eyes of her characters, readers are transported to a world where identities are questioned and the true meaning of home is explored. As the narrative builds toward an explosive climax, Sleeping in the Sun becomes more than just a story—it is a poignant exploration of the human experience that resonates far beyond the last chapter.”—Veena Rao, author of Purple Lotus “Joanne Howard’s Sleeping in the Sun is a quiet and deeply moving novel, a story of a nation trying to reclaim itself, while one man and one boy try to discover who they are themselves. Howard shows us all this not by looking at the big picture, but at the individuals caught at the center of their sometimes conflicting, sometimes heartbreaking goals. A beautiful story, beautifully revealed.”—Pete Fromm, author of Indian Creek Chronicles “This is at once a gripping page-turner and book to savor and admire. It will light up your imagination and endure in your mind alongside all the memories from your real life. I was sad to see it end but delighted to welcome this impressive new voice into American literature. Joanne Howard is a writer to watch.”—Valerie Laken, author of Dream House and Separate Kingdoms

Joanne Howard is an Asian American writer from California. She holds an MFA in writing from Pacific University. Her poetry received an honorable mention from Stanford University’s 2019 Paul Kalanithi Writing Award. Her fiction has been published in The Catalyst by UC Santa Barbara, The Metaworker Literary Magazine and the Marin Independent Journal and her nonfiction has been published in Another New Calligraphy and The Santa Barbara Independent. She lives in Santa Rosa, CA.

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