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' *

A sweeping and tender story set in a decaying mansion on South Africa's eastern coast, where teenage Sana finds herself entangled with the story of a young woman who disappeared some eighty years ago

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.

Reviews

'Grand and gorgeous and brave... A novel that is an ambitious delight, with rich characters and some exceptionally lovely writing.' New York Times

'In lively, beautiful prose that seems to almost dance across the page, Khan expertly repackages gothic and supernatural tropes into a richly imagined coming of age treat.' Daily Mail

'Filled with wonder and colour... I was enthralled and completely swept away.' Yangsze Choo, bestselling author of The Night Tiger

'With its shades of The House of Spirits and Rebecca, is one of the best books I've read this year... Gorgeous.' Sarah Addison Allen, NYT-bestselling author of Garden Spells

'A dark and heady dream of a book, which reveals itself in layers as a gothic horror, a tragic romance, and a classic coming-of-age tale. Hauntingly gorgeous.' Alix E. Harrow, author of The Ten Thousand Doors of January

'A cracking novel... Shubnum Khan unfolds a devastating history woven into the present with mastery and poise.' Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi, author of The First Woman

'An utterly intoxicating novel that hums with life... Full of mirth and full of gore. Its pages will leave you breathless, haunted.' Karina Lickorish Quinn, author of The Dust Never Settles

'Lush, sweeping, gloriously eerie... Shubnum Khan is a writer of rare and luminous imagination.' Violet Kupersmith, author of Build Your House Around My Body

'Shubnum's magical storytelling creates a dark and luscious mood, where every character is expertly given life. Rich with family and community, this is a novel full of redemptive love.' Melody Razak, author of Moth

'South African novelist Khan blends gothic tropes with Indian mythology in her poignant [UK] debut... Playful and evocative.' Publishers Weekly

'Beautiful, just beautiful... Filled with everything that makes for an absorbing read: love, intrigue, conflict, mystique, and so much character.' Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu, author of the City of Kings trilogy

'The Djinn Waits A Hundred Years is a cinematic spectacular, rife with doomed love and vengeful spirits and a lurking violence always waiting to pounce. Shubnum Khan has written a gorgeous gothic mystery, a fascinating meditation on the nature of forgiveness and time.' Julia Fine, author of Maddalena and the Dark

Book Information
ISBN 9780861546268
Author Shubnum Khan
Format Hardback
Page Count 320
Imprint Magpie
Publisher Oneworld Publications
Dimensions(mm) 234mm * 153mm * 28mm