The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years

· Simon and Schuster
Ebook
320
Pages
Eligible
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About this ebook

'Grand and gorgeous and brave.' New York Times

'Lively, beautiful... A richly imagined coming of age treat.' Daily Mail

REBECCA MEETS THE ISLAND OF MISSING TREES IN THIS GORGEOUSLY ATMOSPHERIC NOVEL SET ON SOUTH AFRICA'S EASTERN COAST

Endlessly playful and richly imaginative, Shubnum Khan's vibrant debut delves into the transformative powers of love and grief as it explores the legacy of South Africa's complicated past.

Sana and Meena will never meet. They share little beyond Akbar Manzil, the sprawling mansion high on a clifftop above Durban that they both call home. When Meena fell in love with the owner of the house it was the grandest residence on South Africa's eastern coast, its shining marble parapets and golden domes a testament to the wealthy Indian family's prosperity.

Eight decades later when teenage Sana follows in her footsteps, Akbar Manzil stands in ruins, an isolated boarding house for eccentrics and misfits. This is a place where people come to forget. Or to be forgotten.

But unlike her neighbours Sana is curious about her new home, and finds herself irresistibly drawn to its deserted east wing. As she moves closer to unearthing Meena's story, a grieving djinn begins to stir from its long sleep.

The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years is a haunting, a love story, a mystery and an unforgettable tale of a young girl's search for belonging.

'Filled with wonder and colour, the secrets of the dilapidated mansion Akbar Manzil come to life in this rich tale of loss and love... I was enthralled and completely swept away.' Yangsze Choo, author of The Night Tiger

* A Cosmopolitan 'Best Book for February' *

About the author

Shubnum Khan is a South African author and artist. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, O, The Oprah Magazine, The Sunday Times, Marie Claire and others. Her first novel, Onion Tears (2011) was shortlisted for the Penguin Prize for African Writing and the University of Johannesburg Debut Fiction Prize. Her essay collection, How I Accidentally Became a Stock Photo was published in South Africa and India with Pan Macmillan in 2021. The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years is her debut novel in the UK.

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