Description

From the winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature – ‘a maestro’ (Guardian). A captivating story of the intertwined lives of three young people coming-of-age in postcolonial East Africa

**Selected as a book to look out for in 2025 by the Guardian, Observer, Irish Times and BBC**
**A Time Book of the Year 2025**

‘A poignant portrait of love, friendship and betrayal’ Guardian
‘Storytelling mastery’ Observer
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Badar’s story truly begins on the day when, aged fifteen, he is brought to Mistress’s great house in Dar es Salaam – where he proves a quick learner, and gains the friendship of Karim, the young man of the house.

But then a false accusation sees Badar banished from the place he has come to call home. Exiled, to a run-down hotel on the coast of Zanzibar, Badar must build a new life for himself. And when Karim comes to see his old friend in his new life, he is captivated by temptations that will test the two young men’s friendship to a breaking point.

**Shortlisted for the Edward Stanford Travel Awards 2026: Fiction With A Sense of Place**