Escape from Brick Lane

Monica Ali's vignettes of Portuguese village life, Alentejo Blue, leave Alex Clark wanting more

http://books.guardian.co.uk/reviews/generalfiction/0,,1779632,00.html

Digested Blue
"Gosh it's hot," Joao said to himself, vividly creating an image of the harsh, sunburnt Portuguese countryside. As he dragged his 84-year-old body out into the forest to relieve himself, he stumbled across his friend, Rui, hanging from a tree. "Change comes to us all," he thought deeply. "They even say that Marco Alfonso Rodrigues is coming back to Mamarrosa to build a hotel."
http://books.guardian.co.uk/digestedread/story/0,,1790546,00.html

Monica Ali's patient interiors
http://tls.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,25339-2204924,00.html