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The Kamanga Kings, a Khartoum jazz band of yesteryear, is presented with the opportunity of a lifetime when a surprise letter arrives inviting them to perform in Washington, D.C. The only problem is . . . the band no longer exists.
Rushdy is a disaffected secondary school teacher and the son of an original Kamanga King. Determined to see a life beyond his own home, he sets out to revive the band. Aided by his unreliable best friend, all too soon an unlikely group are on their way, knowing the eyes of their country are on them.
As the group moves from the familiarity of Khartoum to the chaos of Donald Trump's America, Jamal Mahjoub weaves a gently humorous and ultimately universal tale of music, belonging and love.
A terrific work of fiction . . . Mahjoub moves his characters around one another and the events they've brought upon themselves with the command and finesse of a master storyteller who knows he has his audience enthralled . . . A truly humane story of love, hope, and faith. An exhilarating, profoundly moving, musical romp. I loved it - MIRZA WAHEED
(A) powerful treatise on music and memory - Open Country Magazine, Books of 2021
Heartwarming - Africa Report, Must-Read Literary Books of 2021
Praise for A Line in the River: A wonderfully subtle exploration of place, identity and memory - Guardian
A most absorbing and rewarding book - MICHAEL PALIN
An affecting and heartfelt reminder for those of us who have passed time in Khartoum . . . I have been waiting more than fifty years for this book - JIM CRACE
A novel of regeneration through music and the secret hunger of quiet lives. It is an immersive, humorous and powerful novel from a truly great writer who deserves a very wide audience
The Fugitives offers readers a remarkable and entertaining story of a band of Sudanese musicians travelling far from home . . . Mahjoub’s skill positions the Kings’ playing as a practice that, as well as being magical, is a bridge, a form of profound resistance: “this isn’t an orchestra; this is an army”
(A) powerful treatise on music and memory
Heartwarming
Humorous
A rip-roaring adventure from Khartoum to Harlem and an ode to jazz, creativity and freedom of expression . . . a heartfelt and touching book
Jamal Mahjoub is a British-Sudanese writer. Born in London, he was raised in Khartoum where his family remained until 1990. He has lived in a number of places, including the UK, Denmark, Spain and, currently, the Netherlands. His novels include Travelling with Djinns and The Drift Latitudes. Under the pseudonym Parker Bilal he is the author of the Inspector Makana crime series and, most recently, the Crane and Drake series. His latest non-fiction book, A Line in the River, was longlisted for the Ondaatje Prize.
jamalmahjoub.com