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The Family Tree

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The Family Tree

By: Sairish Hussain
Narrated by: Shaheen Khan
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About this listen

Shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award 2020.

Your roots can always lead you home....

Amjad cradles his baby daughter in the middle of the night. He has no time to mourn his wife’s death. Saahil and Zahra, his two small children, are relying on him. Amjad vows to love and protect them always.

Years later, Saahil and his best friend, Ehsan, have finished university and are celebrating with friends. But when the night turns dangerous, its devastating effects will ripple through the years to come.

Zahra’s world is alight with politics and activism. But she is now her father’s only source of comfort, and worries she’ll never have time for her own aspirations. Life has taken her small family in different directions – will they ever find their way back to each other?

The Family Tree is the moving story of a British Muslim family full of love, laughter and resilience as well as all the faults, mistakes and stubborn loyalties which make us human.

©2019 Sairish Hussain (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers Limited Coming of Age Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction World Literature Heartfelt

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Critic reviews

"I absolutely loved it. it manages to be both unflinching and full of hope; the writing is compassionate and true." (Stephanie Butland, author of Lost for Words)

"Poignantly paints the extraordinary in ordinary lives. A brilliant first book from Hussain." (The Sunday Post)

"An evocative portrayal of love and family." (Ayisha Malik)
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I absolutely loved this book.
It touches on so many important issues. As a white british male, I really enjoyed reading a story about a modern british muslim family, with strong characters in each generation. I recommend the book for anyone to read and will definitely read the author's next novel.

An excellent read from a debut novelist.

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Overall I really enjoyed this book. The narrator had a perfect northern and Pakistani accent which reminded me of bradford Muslims. The story was about a typical family who have more than their fair share of tragedy and the impact of that, on them, touching on many themes that are common knowledge of British Muslims. The story had me gripped but I did find some of it unbelievable!

Grippingly unusual story about a British Muslim family

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Good narrator. Story kept me interested from beginning to end - moving, poignant family tale. Showed the very hard world of the homeless and the dedication of those who try to help. Would recommend.

Believable characters and situation

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Be prepared for many tears and some funny moments. Beautifully written, set in yorkshire, if your from Yorkshire listen out for the clues of which town! Love how the author tackles issues present in Asian families, but stays current and does not stereotype. You will want to know where the characters end up and what is happening next, completed this book very quick!

Beautifully non stereotypical south Asian story

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What a beautiful and tragic story about a wonderful and loving family. I really enjoyed the change in perspective, how you’d have a chapter from different characters. I also really liked the dates given periodically as there were jumps in the timeline. Really lovely story.

Heart wrenching and uplifting too.

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This families journey, is fascinating and relatable. Great Story. By the end I knew the characters well .

Fab storyline!

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Such a beautiful story, brilliantly written and captivating. Excellent reflection of a real northern British Muslim family. The narration wasn’t as good as I’d hoped but I would still recommend.

Wonderful story!

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Loved the characters which were well developed and recognisable A story which touches the reality of loss and love.

True to Bradford. A well written story

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Fantastic story
Lots of twists and unexpected side stories that all enrol together. Beautiful narrative.

The Family Tree

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First of all, congratulations to Sairish Hussain on accomplishing this feat of achievement.
This mammoth, sprawling tale is so compact in its settings and in its story, yet the amount of emotion conveyed in its telling.
I live in Halifax, near Bradford,where the story is set and as a regular visitor to Bradford throughout my life, Sairish's descriptions are so clear and vivid, I feel like I've just gotten off at the interchange and am walking past the theatre.
To the story: this book is not about a character;this book is about a family. The patriarch, Amjad, is a recent widower bringing up his children, Saahil and Zaara, by himself ably assisted by his his friends Haroon and Meena and a their children, Ahsan and Alisha and Amjads mother, Ammi.
Within this framework of characters is interwoven a story friendship, and enmity, illness and health with a story of homelessness and revenge thrown in.
Rather than becoming a parody of Pakistani culture, like East is East film, it becomes a very well told story about all the values of being a British Pakistani living in Bradford.
Even though I identified strongly with the location, and there is even a mention of my hometown Halifax, I was captivated by the story.
This is one tragic family Their circumstances improves only to get worse again and they improve again, so it goes cyclically and I found myself listening to it constantly right from opening paragraph.
it is 15 hours long, so its not a short book but I started it on Sunday and by Wednesday morning at 1am I'd finished it, having loved every word.
The narration by Shaheen Khan is absolutely wonderfully with the accents all played out wonderfully.
Overall, if there's only one book you read this year, make it this one.
Well done Sairish Hussain. I'm waiting with baited breath for your next one.
Sohail Akhtar Aadil

I loved it, loved it, loved it

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