Hidden Fires
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âA sweeping tale of resilienceâ i News
'An ineffably touching novel by a talented young author' Saga Magazine
'Harrowing yet uplifting...A visceral exploration of family, identity and loss' Sunday Post
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Ramadan, 2017. Yusuf wakes 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 Yusufâs vision, and the laughter of a small child echoes in his ears. But this time, the red, smoke-filled skies arenât 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. Yusufâs lifestyle does not gel with Rubiâs. But when she finds him scared and confused one night, it becomes clear that thereâs 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.
From the Costa Prize-shortlisted author of The Family Tree and Women's Prize x Good Housekeeping Futures Finalist, Hidden Fires is a powerful story of grief and loss, the power of family and the long arm of history.
Readers love Hidden Fires:âA heartbreaking, emotional rollercoaster of a readâ â â â â â
âA must read bookâ â â â â â
âAn exquisite book exploring the secrets, vulnerabilities and tremendous bonds between three generations of familyâ â â â â â
'What a stunning read' â â â â â
'It's profound and humane and loving' â â â â â
'The style of writing is beautiful, eloquent, as if you are reading Urdu prose' â â â â â
'Such a powerful novel. I could not put it down' â â â â â
'Moved me to tears' â â â â â
Praise for Hidden Fires:'A tale of how we can live together yet be so far apart, and of how bridges can be built' Woman's Weekly
âHussain captures a thousand untold stories in oneâ The New Arab
âThere are not only hidden fires in this novel, but myriad hidden lives ... It treats difficult, serious subjects of buried trauma with real care, combined with a lightness of touch that carries the novel with humour, surprise and loveâ Ross Raisin, author of A Hunger
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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 Authorsâ Club Best First Novel Award and winner of Calibre Audioâs âHidden Gemâ Prize. Sairish was selected by Kei Miller as one of ten âunmissable writers working in the UKâ for the International Literature Showcase 2021. She was one of the finalists in the Womenâs Prize & Good Housekeeping Futures Award, an initiative which celebrates the most promising emerging female authors today. Hidden Fires is her second novel.
