Moving from the villages of Sudan to cosmopolitan Cairo and a decimated post-colonial Britain, this is a sweeping tale of love, loss, faith and reconciliation. Meanwhile, Nur must find a way to live again in the world and find peace. His first wife, Waheeba, is confined to her open-air kitchen and resents Nabilah's influence on Mahmoud. Mahmoud's second wife, Nabilah, longs to return to Egypt and leave behind the dust of 'backward-looking' Sudan. As British rule is coming to an end, and the country is torn between modernising influences and the call of traditions past, the family is divided. Subsequently, his betrothal to his cousin and sweetheart, Soraya is broken off. But when Mahmoud's son, Nur - the brilliant, charming heir to his business empire - suffers a near-fatal accident, his hopes of university and a glittering future are dashed.

With Mahmoud Bey at its helm, the family can do no wrong. vivid, beautifully original' The Herald Set in 1950s Sudan, Lyrics Alley is the story of the powerful and sprawling Abuzeid dynasty. From the author of the New York Times Notable Book, The Translator: a novel of the rich. The book is a fictionalised account of the life of Sudanese poet Hassan Awad Aboulela. Read Lyrics Alley by Leila Aboulela available from Rakuten Kobo. Longlisted for the Orange Prize 2011 'Haunting' Telegraph 'A story for all the senses' Aminatta Forna 'A superb family epic. This was where she belonged with Nur, right here, here in his songs. Lyrics Alley is a 2010 novel by Sudanese author Leila Aboulela.

Lyrics alley