SHORTLISTED FOR THE PORTICO PRIZE
SHORTLISTED FOR THE DIVERSE BOOK AWARDS
LONGLISTED FOR THE AUTHORSโ CLUB BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARD
SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA FIRST NOVEL AWARD
WINNER OF CALIBRE AUDIOโS โHIDDEN GEMโ AWARD
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โPoignantly paints the extraordinary in ordinary livesโTHE SUNDAY POST
โAn engrossing and moving storyโ CLARE CHAMBERS, author of Small Pleasures
โAn evocative portrayal of love and familyโ AYISHA MALIK
'Invites you in, not as a stranger but as a family friendโ KATIE FFORDE
โA masterclass in representation and brilliant writingโ ZEBA TALKHANI, author of My Past is a Foreign Country
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Amjad cradles his baby daughter in the middle of the night. He has no time to mourn his wifeโs death. Saahil and Zahra, his two small children, are relying on him. Amjad vows to love and protect them always.
Years later, Saahil and his best friend, Ehsan, have finished university and are celebrating with friends. But when the night turns dangerous, its devastating effects will ripple through the years to come.
Zahra is now her fatherโs only source of comfort. Life has taken her small family in different directions โ will they ever find their way back to each other?
The Family Tree is the moving story of a British Muslim family full of love, laughter and resilience as well as all the faults, mistakes and stubborn loyalties which make us human.
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โA profound, beautifully observed portrait of a British-Muslim family rocked by tragedy. So endearing are the characters, I grieved as they grieved, cheered as they healed and clung to them for days after the final pageโ Kia Abdullah
โA multi-generational story crafted with warmth... An engaging debutโ Vaseem Khan
โBoth unflinching and full of hope; the writing is compassionate and trueโ Stephanie Butland
Sairish Hussain was born and brought up in Bradford, West Yorkshire. She studied English Language and Literature at the University of Huddersfield and progressed onto an MA in Creative Writing. Sairish completed her PhD in 2019 after being awarded the university's Vice-Chancellor's Scholarship. The Family Tree is her debut novel and she is now writing her second book.