'A beautiful, bewitching and profound novel.' -- Francisco Goldman

Bridgeport, Connecticut: 1913.

Austin Voronkov is a Russian immigrant working in a factory. When he falls in love with Julia – the daughter of his landlady – the American Dream feels within reach. But after he is wrongly accused of attending an anarchist gathering and is deported, that dream becomes a nightmare.

Spanning four decades and three continents, The Invention of Exile is the story of an epic love that is tested over and over again,but never broken. Stuck in a strange land, separated fromhis family and unable to see his children grow up, Austin becomesa pawn in the cat-and-mouse game of political antagonism betweenthe United States and the new Soviet Union. But with steadfastcourage and unwavering devotion, Julia finds a way to keeptheir love alive.

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‘moving… evokes exile’s restless rhythms’ 

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‘An eventful story’ 

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‘Manko… writes beautifully about the pain of exile and the longing for home’ 

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‘Manko's prose and pacing are remarkably assured, rapid when traversing oceans and decades, unbearably tense when Voronkov attempts to re-enter America… With these indelible pages, Manko does her ancestors proud.’

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'‘Heart-rending and powerful… Manko’s intricate descriptions of settings move effortlessly between each country. She has the ability to create magnificent spaces… The minutiae of human existence, both through sensual experience and interior mental processes, are written with ease. I became totally immersed’ 8/10