My Friend Matt & Hena the Whore

‘Zameenzad, an award-winning novelist  living in England, adds a new dimension to the footage of hungry children we see on television newscasts and makes them come alive in an unforgettable way'

​When life in their village is disrupted by civil war and famine, four spirited children – Matt ,Hena, Kimo and Golam – travel to the big city to get help from Kimo’s supposedly successful cousin.  But the cousin is hiding from the police and nowhere to be found… Kimo refuses to stop believing in the goodness of people, saying that ‘the hurt of those who stop loving you is worse than the hurt of those who leave you … the hurt of those who never love you is the worst of all'.

‘Outstanding ….into this odyssey of nightmares and magic the author manages to weave a thread of humour which is the most remarkable achievement of this horrifying book. ‘ EVENING STANDARD  
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‘ Truly Astonishing ‘  i-D

‘It would be hard to overpraise the achievement … a truly remarkable novel.  To write it must have taken not just Zameenzad’s great gifts as a writer, but also something else, some extra dose of humanity’  PUNCH

​‘ An outstanding second novel …… a remarkable achievement’ – THE TIMES