An ode to the tragedy and pain as well as the beauty and wonder of contemporary life as seen through the eyes of a young female courier

Christos Ikonomou’sshort novel, his first after a string of internationally lauded short story collections, starts with the phrase “Tell her”, which is repeated like a chorus throughout the text. It is only towards the book’s last pages that we find out who the person uttering the phrase is and to whom it is directed.

The nameless protagonist and narrator of Tell Her, is a young female courier who roams the busy streets of Athens delivering packages. Her life as well as her way of understanding the world are defined by motion and movement. She is constantly on the go, and her voice, -at times painfully revealing at others brilliantly enigmatic-, betrays the strains of constant restlessness. Yet, amidst the pain and tragedies of daily life, as Ikonomou never fails to remind us, there is also beauty; a constellation of fleeting moments of wonder, joy, and awe as well as true miracles which are conveyed so sensitively and authentically, they become utterly believable.

Tell Her is a hopeful heart-wrenching novel about the horror and beauty of contemporary life and the tragedy and glory that defines the human condition.

Inaugural recipient of the Chowdhury Prize in Literature 2022 in the US!

Winner of the 2022 O. Henry Prize for Short Fiction, the oldest major prize for short fiction in the US!