Book Reviews

''A remarkably accomplished, polished debut.'' MALORIE BLACKMAN

''Rightfully tipped for greatness'' SUNDAY TIMES

''This moving tale of love and loss ... is well worth the wait'' INDEPENDENT

''[W]hat's distinctive is the modern, multi-ethnic vision of masculinity she presents and the solidarity that emerges from it ... undeniably powerful too.'' GUARDIAN

''[A] sprawling and epic dual narrative ... woven together with gentle urgency; sensitive and with a rare perspective on how our mixed race backgrounds can help form feelings of both internal power and conflict.'' I-D MAGAZINE

''You can't exactly stop birds from flying, can you? They go where they will...''

Setting and Plot

1960s UGANDA. Hasan is struggling to run his family business following the sudden death of his wife. Just as he begins to see a way forward, a new regime seizes power, and a wave of rising prejudice threatens to sweep away everything he has built.

Present-day LONDON. Sameer, a young high-flying lawyer, senses an emptiness in what he thought was the life of his dreams. Called back to his family home by an unexpected tragedy, Sameer begins to find the missing pieces of himself not in his future plans, but in a past he never knew.

Shortlisted for the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award 2022