An Olive Grove in Ends

<p><b>ONE OF THE <i>OBSERVER</i>''S 10 MUST-READ DEBUT NOVELISTS OF 2022</b><br><b>A <i>GUARDIAN </i>NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2022<br>WINNER: HAWTHORNDEN PRIZE 2023; </b><b>SOMERSET MAUGHAM AWARD 2023;</b><b>SOHO HOUSE BREAKTHROUGH WRITER AWARD 2022</b><br><b>SHORTLISTED: THE WRITERS'' GUILD BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARD 2023<br><br></b><b>''Luminous prose, rendered with sensitivity and without sentimentalism. An astonishing debut'' Cherie Jones, author of <i>HOW THE ONE-ARMED SISTER SWEEPS HER HOUSE</i></b><br><br>Sayon Hughes, a young Black man from Bristol, dreams of a world far removed from the one in which he was raised. Far removed from the torn slips outside the bookie''s, the burnt spoons and the crooked solutions his community embraces; most of all, removed from the Christianity of his uncaring parents and the prejudice of law-makers.<br><br>Growing up, Sayon found respite from the chaos of his environment in the love and loyalty of his brother-in-arms, Cuba; in the example of his cousin Ha

*** ONE OF THE OBSERVER'S 10 MUST-READ DEBUT NOVELISTS OF 2022 ***'A rare glimpse into the harsh realities of street life and love in luminous prose, rendered with sensitivity and without sentimentalism. An astonishing debut' Cherie Jones, author of HOW THE ONE-ARMED SISTER SWEEPS HER HOUSESayon Hughes, a young Black man from Bristol, dreams of a world far removed from the one in which he was raised. Far removed from the torn slips outside the bookie's, the burnt spoons and the crooked solutions his community embraces; most of all, removed from the Christianity of his uncaring parents and the prejudice of law-makers.Growing up, Sayon found respite from the chaos of his environment in the love and loyalty of his brother-in-arms, Cuba; in the example of his cousin Hakim, a man once known as the most infamous drug-dealer in their neighbourhood, now a proselytising Muslim; and in the tenderness of his girl, Shona, whose own sense of purpose galvanises Sayon's. In return, Sayon wants to give the people he loves the world: a house atop a grand hill in the most affluent area of the city, a home in which they can forever find joy and safety. But after an altercation in which a boy is killed, Sayon finds his loyalties torn and his dream of a better life in peril.MORE PRAISE FOR AN OLIVE GROVE IN ENDS:'A remarkable debut, bristling with sharp prose and daring originality' Nathan Harris, author of THE SWEETNESS OF WATER'A phenomenally good novel, tense and thrilling and complex, with breath-stealing moments on every page' Donal Ryan, author of STRANGE FLOWERS'This consummately crafted work can only be a harbinger of a stellar and truly significant career. I urge you to read it' Patrick McCabe, author of THE BUTCHER BOY'Engrossing . .. A tough yet tender story of faith and friendship' OBSERVER