Description

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‘Full of fun, longing and wit … a debut of spirit and imagination, loaded with intelligent charm’ – Ali Smith

‘A touching and engrossing story … an assured debut’ – The Times

‘A colourful and peripatetic view of politics in Pakistan … an interesting and promising novel’ – Guardian
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BY THE ACCLAIMED WINNER OF THE WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION
SHORTLISTED FOR THE JOHN LLEWELLYN RHYS PRIZE
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Hasan is eleven years old. He loves cricket, pomegranates, the night sky, his clever, vibrant artistic mother and his etymologically obsessed lawyer father, and he adores his next-door neighbour Zehra. One early summer morning, while lazing happily on the roof, Hasan watches a young boy flying a yellow kite fall to his death.

Soon after, Hasan’s idyllic, sheltered family life is shattered when his beloved uncle Salman, a dissenting politician, is arrested and charged with treason… Set in a land ruled by an oppressive military regime, this eloquent, charming and quietly political novel vividly recreates the confusing world of a young boy on the edge of adulthood, and beautifully illustrates the transformative power of the imagination.

Publisher Review

Full of fun, longing and wit ... a debut of spirit and imagination, loaded with intelligent charm -- Ali Smith A touching and engrossing story ... an assured debut * The Times * Lively, playful, provocative -- Anita Desai A colourful and peripatetic view of politics in Pakistan ... an interesting and promising novel * Guardian * Utterly enchanting -- Deborah Moggach