In this book, which I created with Conceição Dinis Tomé, I tried to bring to life the journey that the main characters go on with an emotional portrayal of every moment. I paid close attention to the details in the physical and psychological characterisation of the characters and the relationship between them, such as the positions of their bodies, hands, gestures and gazes, to convey the emotions they felt. I wanted the loving relationship between mother and daughter to be as realistic as possible. The girl grows up throughout the book, which helps to characterise the feeling of unity that grows stronger.

I decided that the story we read, written in the first person and interspersed with the characters' dialogue, would remain inside the girl's head, who appears on the book's endpapers, as a way of situating the narrative in the memory of those who lived it, emphasising the reader's proximity to this fictional story based on real events. 

2021
Fatma

Published by
APCC

Text by
Conceição Dinis Tomé

City
Lisbon


Awards 
2021 Selection
Chen Bochui International Children's Literature Award (CICLA). 'Common Journey' exhibition. Shanghai. ​​​​​​​




You can order the book here.


© Mariana Rio 2010-2026