The Smile of the Bougainvillea

A novel of migration and becoming

Literary Fiction

Synopsis

The Smile of the Bougainvillea is a literary novel about migration, love, and the quiet moral consequences of ambition.

Through a series of intimate relationships across different stages of life, the novel explores how lives lived in transition shape identity, attachment, and choice. Rather than treating migration as triumph or failure, it focuses on the years between departure and arrival—relationships held in suspension, decisions postponed, and the emotional residue of leaving that never fully clears.

The recurring image of the bougainvillea—blooming persistently in inhospitable conditions—serves as a quiet counterpoint to themes of endurance, emotional restraint, and belonging.

Publication Details

First Edition: December 15, 2025

Publisher: Independently Published

ISBN (Hardcover): 979-8-9935232-6-2

ISBN (Paperback): 979-8-9935232-5-5

ISBN (Ebook): 979-8-9935232-4-8

Library of Congress Control Number: 2025925513

Themes

  • Migration and belonging
  • Identity and code-switching
  • Love and loss across cultures
  • Memory and forgetting
  • The moral costs of ambition
  • Reconciliation and growth

Read an Excerpt

Experience the opening pages of The Smile of the Bougainvillea.

Read excerpt

Where to Buy

The Smile of the Bougainvillea will be available from major booksellers and independent bookstores. Links will be added here upon publication.

Publication Status

Coming Soon: December 15, 2025

Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, Ebook