We Are All Birds of Uganda

WINNER of the Merky Books New Writers' Prize

'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

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

1960s UGANDA. Hasan struggles to keep his family business afloat following the sudden death of his wife. As he begins to put his shattered life back together piece by piece, 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 heritage he never knew.

Moving between two continents over a troubled century, We Are All Birds of Uganda is an immensely resonant novel that explores racial tensions, generational divides and what it means to belong.

It is the first work of fiction by Hafsa Zayyan, co-winner of the inaugural #Merky Books New Writers' Prize, and one of the most exciting young novelists of today.

Stylist's Best Fiction 2021
The Independent's January Book of the Month
Marie Claire's January Book of the Month
Refinery29 Reads: The Books We're Picking Up This January
The British Blacklist: January To Be Read List
As featured in the Daily Mail, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Observer