Eleanor Bluestein

"This collection of stories, Tea & other Ayama Na Tales, takes place in a small country in South East Asia. Like many small countries of the day, it struggles with peace after war and returning to the old versus embracing the new. What is different is that this particular country does not physically exist. Yet Bluestein’s canny storytelling, her perfectly imagined dialogue, her vibrant characters, both native and foreign, create a place familiar, intimate, and utterly believable. Tea & other Ayama Na Tales is a wry and thoughtful reckoning of the human condition."

It creates "such a strong indigenous atmosphere that we can believe we are there."