Determination

Jamila Shah is a twenty-nine-year-old immigration solicitor who is exhausted and overworked. She longs for a life outside of work but feels obligated to help others. When her life falls apart, she must decide whether to pursue her own happiness or continue to help others. This debut novel follows the staff and clients of Shah & Co Solicitors, all trying to achieve normalcy in the UK.

Format: Hardback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 13 June 2024
Publisher: Footnote Press Ltd

'A compassionate, beautifully told portrait' Guy Gunaratne
'Absorbing, witty, eloquent fiction, as well as a trenchant political critique' Tom Benn
'A hymn to empathy, alive with care and love' Rebecca Watson

Jamila Shah is twenty-nine and exhausted.

An immigration solicitor tasked with running the precious family law firm, Jamila is prone to being woken in the middle of the night by frantic phone calls from clients on the cusp of deportation. Working under the shadow of the government's 'hostile environment', she constantly prays and hopes that their 'determinations' will result in her clients being allowed to stay.

With no time for friends, family or even herself (never mind a needy partner), Jamila's life feels hectic and out of control. Then a breakdown of sorts forces her to seek change - to pursue her own happiness while navigating the endless expectations that the world seems to have of her, and still committing herself to a career devoted to helping others.

In this assured and character-driven debut, we meet the staff of Shah & Co Solicitors, who themselves arrived in the UK not too long ago, and their clients, more recent arrivals - all trying to achieve some semblance of normality.

Weight: 420g
Dimension: 146 x 224 x 36 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781804440902