Synopsis
From the green hilltops of Kampala, to the terraced houses of London, Neema Shah’s extraordinarily moving debut Kololo Hill explores what it means to leave your home behind, what it takes to start again, and the lengths some will go to protect their loved ones.
'Shah explores the chaos and fear of ordinary people’s lives during Amin’s rule, weaving personal stories of love and betrayal into heightening tension and violence . . . nail-biting.' - Independent
Uganda, 1972. A devastating decree is issued: all Ugandan Asians must leave the country in ninety days. They must take only what they can carry, give up their money and never return.
For Asha and Pran, married a matter of months, it means abandoning the family business that Pran has worked so hard to save. For his mother, Jaya, it means saying goodbye to the house that has been her home for decades.
But violence is escalating in Kampala, and people are disappearing. Will they all make it to safety in Britain and will they be given refuge if they do?
And all the while, a terrible secret about the expulsion hangs over them, threatening to tear the family apart.
‘[An] incredible debut’ - Stylist
Details
17 February 2022
9781529030549Reviews
An impressive, confident debut about family and survival, against the backdrop of a history that is not written about often enough.
Devastatingly beautiful . . . every sentence is a revelation.
Shah is excellent on the theme of home . . . an absorbing storyteller.
This is a novel about home, about belonging and exile; a compelling and complex insight into a recent past that still resonates.
