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Who Will Remain

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What to expect

'A gut punch of a novel' BOBBY PALMER

'Thrillingly alive' ANDREW McMILLAN

‘A storm of a novel' LUCY ROSE

'Truly propulsive writing' IRISH TIMES

‘One of the most gripping novels I've read in a long time’ SAMIRA AHMED, Front Row, BBC Radio 4

Amir has grown up in Alum Rock, Birmingham, under the care of his sensible older brother, Bilal, and his cousin Saqib, born just a few days before Amir. Alum Rock can be a troubled place, but Amir has managed to keep his head down, worked hard and stayed out of trouble … until now.

When Saqib is killed in a gang fight and Bilal announces his engagement, Amir suddenly loses the two men who keep him grounded. Amir’s university grades are collapsing, he’s running out of money, and pressure mounts from every direction. As tensions flare, the friends left around him start to draw Amir into their more dangerous pursuits, and the family ties that have bound him so completely begin to unravel. Amir decides he only has himself to rely on and must take his future into his own hands.

This is a blistering story of social expectations and social condemnation, of dead ends and divided loyalties, and of what’s left behind when you have nothing left to lose.

'An unflinching meditation on fractured loyalties … Reminiscent of the great modernists, Ali has written a quietly seething novel' Zain Khalid, author of Brother Alive

'A poignant reflection on brotherhood and loss’ Hyphen

'One of the most exciting writers working right now’ Bobby Palmer, author of Isaac and the Egg

‘I was blown away … Heartbreaking, captivating and real’ Justin Myers, author of The Glorious Dead

'This is a novel that will stay with you forever’ Saima Mir, author of The Khan

'Devastating … propulsive … Ali once again wields his enthralling, singular voice’ Gaar Adams, author of Guest Privileges

'Brilliantly involving … Mesmerising’ Harriet Vyner, author of Among Ruins

'Tender and deeply human' Lucy Rose, author of The Lamb

Critics Review

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‘I would love to press this into the hands of everyone I know … One of the most gripping novels I've read in a long time’ Samira Ahmed, Front Row, BBC Radio 4

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‘A classic tale of tragic greed, brought into the modern-day, working-class Pakistani community of Birmingham … the rage contained in these characters bristles palpably from the page … truly propulsive writing’ Irish Times

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'As [Amir] is pulled in every direction, loyalties splinter and tension rises, he must decide what kind of life he really wants for himself' iPaper, Best Books of July

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'A searing and heartfelt tragedy of our times’ The New Arab

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'Themes of status anxiety, racism, class prejudice, the blow-out from the financial crisis and male anxieties over gender roles are all here – and all propelled by a pacey plot’ London Standard

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‘A novel that feels thrillingly alive; bursting with the complicated beauty of real life’ Andrew McMillan, author of Pity

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‘I loved this. Searching and expansive in scope, with shades of Caledonian Road. A gut punch of a novel from one of the most exciting writers working right now’ Bobby Palmer, author of Isaac and the Egg

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‘A powerful story exploring cultural expectations and what it means to go against them … a poignant reflection on brotherhood and loss’ Hyphen

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‘A storm of a novel – intimate in its portrayal of identity, community, and masculinity. Though richly layered, it's tender and deeply human’ Lucy Rose, author of The Lamb

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‘I was blown away by Who Will Remain … Heartbreaking, captivating and real – everyone should read this’ Justin Myers, author of The Glorious Dead

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‘A stirring story of love and loss … Ali writes with a tenderness that quietly breaks the heart. This is a novel that will stay with you forever’ Saima Mir, author of The Khan

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‘A devastating snarl of ambition, power and mimetic desire … Ali once again wields his enthralling, singular voice’ Gaar Adams, author of Guest Privileges

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