KUCHING, April 12 — The award-winning novel The Cats We Meet Along the Way by young Sarawakian author Nadia Mikail is now available in French.

She shared the news on her Instagram page.

"Look at this gorgeous, gorgeous French edition of Cats, published by the wonderful @editions_slalom! The breathtaking cover was done by @agathesinger and it was translated perfectly by @emmanuelle_urien. So grateful to everyone involved! This is a dream!” she wrote.

Published by Paris-based Editions Slalom, the French version of her book hit bookstores on April 6.

Hailing from Kuching, Nadia is currently studying law in London.

The book, which earned the Sarawakian the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, chronicles a family’s trip across Malaysia during the impending end of the world.

Waterstones head of children’s Florentyna Martin had hailed The Cats We Meet Along the Way as a ‘phenomenal debut’, describing the prose of Nadia’s book as ‘sparkling in the growing market for older readers’.

"Booksellers were overwhelmed by the tenderness woven through each chapter; the moments of silence between the characters are as truthful and evocative as their conversations.

"She (Nadia) has ultimately crafted a novel of hope, set against an eventful road trip, that encourages us to share stories and dreams,” Martin was quoted as having said in recent news reports.

Waterstones is Britain’s last surviving national bookshop chain.

Apart from the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, it also has other awards, namely ‘Waterstones Book of the Year’ and ‘Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize’. — Borneo Post Online