Everybody says it's everything : a novel / Xhenet Aliu.
"Growing up in Connecticut with their adoptive mother, Jackie, twins Drita and Petrit (aka Pete), had no connection to their Albanian heritage and knew nothing about where they came from. Their American lives were all about the Barbie doll that Drita wanted from the mall, and roller skating at the local rink. The twins were as close as could be. But in their teenage years, their paths diverged; Drita was a good girl with good grades and good manners who was going to go to a good college, Pete was a bad boy who had a baby with an addict and was going nowhere fast. Even their twinhood was not enough to keep them together. Fast forward to their twenties: Jackie has suffered a stroke, and Drita has abandoned her graduate study at Columbia University to move home and take care of her mother, giving up all her dreams for the future in the name of family obligation. She hasn't heard from Pete in three years. Then Pete's girlfriend Shanda and their son show up unexpectedly without him, and Drita discovers that he's fallen in with a guerrilla group of Albanian immigrants in the Bronx supplying the war in Kosovo with weapons and fighters. She becomes determined to bring him back into the family-but what she learns about their Albanian roots and Jackie's past threatens to tear them apart for good"-- Provided by publisher.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780593732274 (hardcover)
- Physical Description: 306 pages ; 25 cm
- Edition: First edition.
- Publisher: New York : Random House, [2025]
- Copyright: ©2025
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Adoptees > Fiction. Families > Fiction. Guerrilla warfare > Fiction. Kosovo War, 1998-1999 > Fiction. Secrecy > Fiction. Siblings > Fiction. Twins > Fiction. Connecticut > Fiction. New York (State) > Fiction. |
| Genre: | Domestic fiction. Novels. |
Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at Tsuga Consortium.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeshore Branch | FIC Aliu | 31681010411106 | FICTION | Available | - |
- Baker & Taylor
Estranged in adulthood, adopted twins Drita and Pete are drawn together by Peteâs young son, leading Drita on a journey to uncover their Albanian roots, the truth about their adoption and the chance to rebuild their fractured family. - Random House, Inc.
In this unforgettable novel from the award-winning author of Brass, twins growing up in the United States in the nineties unravel larger truths about identity and sibling bonds when one of them gets wrapped up in the war in Kosovo.
âA glowing work of art . . . Aliu has used her many talents to craft a wonderful, vibrant, must-read book.ââJason Mott, National Book Awardâwinning author of Hell of a Book
Raised in Connecticut, adopted twins Drita and Petrit (aka Pete) had no connection to their Albanian heritage. Their lives were all about Barbie dolls, the mall, and roller skating at the local rink. Although they were inseparable during their childhood, their paths diverged once they became teenagers: Drita was a good girl with good manners who was going to attend a good college; Pete was a bad boy going nowhere fast. Even their twinhood was not enough to keep them together.
Fast-forward to their twenties. Drita has given up on her dreams for the future, abandoning her graduate studies to move back home and take care of their mother. She hasnât heard from Pete in three years when his girlfriend and their son unexpectedly show up without him and in need of help. Realizing that Peteâs child may offer the siblings a second chance at being family, Drita becomes determined to find her brother. But what she ends up discoveringâabout their connection to their Albanian roots, the war in Kosovo, and the story of their adoptionâwill surprise everyone, and become what brings them together, or tears them apart for good.
In Everybody Says Itâs Everything, critically acclaimed author Xhenet Aliu tells the story of a family both fractured and foundering, desperate to connect with the other and the world at large, but not knowing how.