Hidden Fires - Readings

Description

Praise for Sairish Hussain’s The Family Tree
SHORTLISTED FOR THE PORTICO PRIZE
SHORTLISTED FOR THE DIVERSE BOOK AWARDS
LONGLISTED FOR THE AUTHORS’ CLUB BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARD
SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA FIRST NOVEL AWARD
WINNER OF CALIBRE AUDIO’S ‘HIDDEN GEM’ AWARD

How can you live in the present when you’re trying to bury the past?
Ramadan, 2017. Yusuf wakes up in the middle of the night to pray. His routine is always the same, but something tells him that tonight is different. Yellow flames blur Yusuf’s vision, and the laughter of a small child echoes in his ears. But this time, the red, smoke-filled skies aren’t just in his memory.

Miles away, Rubi is also awake. On the television, she watches reports of a devastating fire in London. She is already anxious when her parents send her to stay with her Grandpa Yusuf, whose conservative house rules are almost as unbearable as the loneliness she feels at home. Yusuf’s lifestyle does not gel with Rubi’s. But when she finds him scared and confused one night, it becomes clear that there’s more to her grandfather than Rubi ever considered.

As Yusuf grapples with the past, Rubi is determined to save him. But the memories that are recovered and spoken of for the first time in years are more painful than she could have imagined. Hidden Fires explores grief and loss, the power of family ties, and the long arm of history.

Hidden Fires explores grief and loss, the power of family ties, and the long arm of history.

About the Author

Sairish Hussain is a Bradford-based author and lecturer in Creative Writing. Her debut novel, The Family Tree, was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award, the Portico Prize and the Diverse Book Awards. It was also longlisted for the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award and winner of Calibre Audio’s ‘Hidden Gem’ Prize. Sairish was selected by Kei Miller as one of ten ‘unmissable writers working in the UK’ for the International Literature Showcase 2021. She was one of the finalists in the Women’s Prize && Good Housekeeping Futures Award, an initiative which celebrates the most promising emerging female authors today. Hidden Fires is her second novel.