After the death of her husband in London, Gulnar Jaffar writes letters to her estranged son Zain in Glasgow.  These letters describe her life in 1960s Tanzania, from being caught up in a mutiny, to attending a tea party for the first lady.  Pining for Zain’s understanding, Gulnar reveals how the fraught atmosphere of postcolonial East Africa has shaped their mother-son relationship.

“It makes you laugh and cry at the exact right moments.”  --John Wall Barger, author of Resurrection Fail

 “A quintessentially African story that blazes with heart. This promising debut is filled with voices you won't soon forget, and characters that will linger with you long after its final pages.”  -- Mathangi Subramanian, author of A People’s History of Heaven

 “These heartfelt letters from a mother to her beloved son tell the story of how multiple inheritances across continents, cultures, and generations color us and complicate us, infusing our spirit with that indelible thing...the enigma of being human.”    --Sikeena Karmali, author of The Mulberry Courtesan

“There wasn't a dull moment, and throughout I wondered what was going to happen next.” --Girma Demeke, author of The Origin of Amharic

About the Author

Fayyaz Vellani is a British-Canadian writer who has lived in London, New York, and Philadelphia, where he teaches writing at the University of Pennsylvania.

World Rights

Category: Fiction, Literature/AFRICA                                                                        

Page count: 202 est.

Trim size:  5.5 x 8.5"

Publication date: 2022