Hidden Fires

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.