Lyrics Alley

Longlisted for the Orange Prize 2011

HauntingTelegraph
A story for all the senses Aminatta Forna
A superb family epic . . . vivid, beautifully originalThe Herald

Set in 1950s Sudan, Lyrics Alley is the story of the powerful and sprawling Abuzeid dynasty. With Mahmoud Bey at its helm, the family can do no wrong. But when Mahmouds son, Nur - the brilliant, charming heir to his business empire - suffers a near-fatal accident, his hopes of university and a glittering future are dashed. Subsequently, his betrothal to his cousin and sweetheart, Soraya is broken off.

As British rule is coming to an end, and the country is torn between modernising influences and the call of traditions past, the family is divided. Mahmouds second wife, Nabilah, longs to return to Egypt and leave behind the dust of backward-looking Sudan. His first wife, Waheeba, is confined to her open-air kitchen and resents Nabilahs influence on Mahmoud. Meanwhile, Nur must find a way to live again in the world and find peace. Moving from the villages of Sudan to cosmopolitan Cairo and a decimated post-colonial Britain, this is a sweeping tale of love, loss, faith and reconciliation.