From the two-time winner of the Giller Prize and author of the international bestseller, The In-Between World of Vikram Lall "By turns detective story, family saga [and] national history . A rich evocative meditation on how and why stories are written." Sunday Times When Pius Fernandes, a retired schoolteacher living in modernday Dar es Salaam, discovers the diary of a British colonial administrator from 1913, he is drawn into a provocative account of East Africa and the liaisons, feelings and secrets of its people over the course of a century."Vassanji captures a wide and authentic perspective that ranks with V.S. Naipaul and Graham Greene . a chillingly accurate novel." The Times "Written with a subtle pen and a compassionate eye .

in a clear, simple rhythmic language that evokes the inexorable beat of an African drum - an unusual and satisfying read." Sunday Telegraph "An enchanting book written with wisdom and vision." Herald.