SHORTLISTED FOR THE HWA CROWN DEBUT AWARD 'A new classic' SARA COLLINS, author of THE CONFESSIONS OF FRANNIE LANGTON'S gorgeous book' ALEX WHEATLE, author of BRIXTON ROCK_Brixton 1981.

Sixteen year-old Michael is already on the wrong side of the law. In in his community, where job opportunities are low and drug-running is high, this is nothing new.

But when Michael falls for Ngozi, a vibrant young immigrant from the Nigerian village of Obowi, their startling connection runs far deeper than they realise. Narrated by the spirit of an African woman who lost her life on a slave ship two centuries earlier, her powerful story reveals how Michael and Ngozi's struggle for happiness began many lifetimes ago. Through haunting, lyrical words, one unforgettable message resonates: love, hope and unity will heal us all.

'A searing, rhapsodic novel. Filled with beauty, devastation and the power of ancestral connections that ripple through the ages' IRENOSEN OKOJIE, author of NUDIBRANCH' Lyrical and affecting' GUARDIAN Readers' love THE BOOK OF ECHOES: 'A powerful and honest debut which is going to stay with me for a long time' 'You can feel Amaka's passion rising off the page' 'BRILLIANT, thoughtful and masterfully crafted' 'Oh my goodness, the book itself is even more beautiful and haunting than the cover'