Extraordinary, ambitious, evocative, dazzling SALMAN RUSHDIE n n On the banks of the Zambezi River, a few miles from the majestic Victoria Falls, there was once a colonial settlement called The Old Drift. n n In 1904, in a smoky room at the hotel across the river, an Old Drifter named Percy M. Clark, foggy with fever, makes a mistake that entangles his fate with those of an Italian hotelier and an African busboy. n n So begins a cycle of unwitting retribution between three Zambian families as they collide and converge over the course of the century, into the present and beyond. n n Brilliant . . . heartbreaking Sunday Times n n Electric . . . Serpell is a major talent Financial Times n n A novel that satisfies on all levels Alice Sebold n n Charming, heartbreaking and breathtaking Carmen Maria Machado n n Longlisted for the Debut Crown Historical Writers Association Award 2019 n Longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize 2019 n