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Dalila Hardcover – 19 Jan. 2017

by Jason Donald (Author)

4.4 72 ratings

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'As compelling as it is tough, sidestepping piety in favour of clear-eyed infectious anger.' - Rebecca Nicolson Sunday Times

Irene Dalila Mwathi comes from Kenya with a brutally violent personal history. Once she wanted to be a journalist, now all she wants is to be safe. When she finally arrives, bewildered, in London, she is attacked by the very people paid to protect her, and she has no choice but to step out on her own into this strange new world. Through a dizzying array of interviews, lawyer’s meetings, regulations and detention centres, she realises that what she faces may be no less dangerous than the violence she has fled.

Written with grace, humour and compassion, this timely and thought-provoking novel tackles its uncomfortable subject matter in a deeply affecting way. A book about forging dignity in a world of tragedy, and raising issues about immigration and asylum-seekers through the story of one woman’s plight, Dalila is a necessary tale of our times. It is also a work of great literary power: a slow-burning, spell-binding novel about how we treat the vulnerable and dispossessed that will leave its readers devastated.

Print length

368 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Jonathan Cape
Publication date

19 Jan. 2017
Dimensions

14.4 x 3.3 x 22.2 cm
ISBN-10

191070248X
ISBN-13

978-1910702482
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Review

An extraordinary journey, following 21-year-old Dalila through a novel that is both hard to put down and hard to continue… Beautifully observed…what is being built transcends plot, emerging as a study of the nature of despair and memory. -- Roma Tearne ― Guardian

Donald grafts Dalila’s experiences together with the precise pace of a thriller, and it is as compelling as it is tough, sidestepping piety in favour of clear-eyed infectious anger. -- Rebecca Nicolson ― Sunday Times

Just as history is written by the victors, the foreign is typically viewed from the perspective of the powerful, an imbalance to which Jason Donald's earnest, accomplished new novel Dalila is a corrective. -- Jessica Loudis ― Times Literary Supplement

Writing fiction that deals with social issues can be a tightrope walk… Jason Donald has walked that tightrope superbly. -- Doug Johnstone ― Big Issue

Jason Donald’s writing is vivid and immediate, told in the present tense, with a constant sense of danger and often heart-rending to read. His heroine is one person who represents countless people; her story is no less powerful because it happens every day. Uncomfortable, but intensely truthful. -- Kate Saunders ― The Times

A vivid, vital novel, it's shot through with humour and tenderness. -- Anthony Cummins ― Metro

Dalila is written with such immense empathy. -- David Robinson ― Scotsman

Donald is a powerful literary writer, an author with real empathy and an unflinching eye. -- Jane Graham and Doug Johnstone ― Big Issue, 2017 Books of the Year

An achingly brutal depiction of how society treats asylum seekers – a tale that is especially relevant in today’s world. ― Irish Tatler, 2017 Books of the Year

Dalila does for the Home Office what I, Daniel Blake did for the Department of Work and Pensions...stands to shine a light on the side of the migration story that never makes the news. ― UK Press Syndication

It had me laughing one moment then in tears the next… A well-told story of what life throws at us and how we adapted to tell our story, our ubuntu. -- Ian Wells ― Nudge

Dalila is one of the best pieces of fiction I’ve read in a while. Succinct yet beautifully descriptive, it would be impossible for any reader to come away from it without a renewed or newfound sympathy for genuine asylum seekers. This is an absorbing, heartbreaking novel. -- Noo Saro-Wiwa

Utterly compelling. Dalila, a multi-layered story of more than one displaced life, is as up-close, resonant and right-now as it gets. -- Janice Galloway

Dalila is a riveting examination of one of today's most urgent issues. Telling the story of a young and desperate Kenyan asylum-seeker, Jason Donald writes with insight (and considerable inside knowledge) about the particular purgatory through which she and so many like her have to pass. All the more powerful for not being a mere polemic, Dalila is grippingly authentic, transparently truthful and exceptionally moving. -- Christopher Hampton

A compelling novel of a young woman’s struggle to find safety in a hostile world, Dalila examines some of the most important issues of our age. Powerful, compassionate and deeply human. -- Anne Donovan

About the Author

Jason Donald was born in Scotland and grew up in South Africa. He studied English Literature and Philosophy at St Andrews University and, in 2005, graduated from Glasgow University’s Creative Writing Masters Degree programme with distinction. His first novel, Choke Chain, was published by Cape in 2009.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Jonathan Cape (19 Jan. 2017)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 368 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 191070248X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1910702482
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 14.4 x 3.3 x 22.2 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 1,529,969 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 116,835 in Literary Fiction (Books)
- 118,158 in Contemporary Fiction (Books)

Customer reviews:
4.4 72 ratings

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4.4 out of 5

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Jennifer Parr

A must read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 April 2023

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The story of Dalila, a Kenyan woman seeking asylum in the UK. It’s thought provoking, informative of the system and the injustices of it, and completely heartbreaking. 5 star must read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 June 2017

Verified Purchase

Dalila is a great, well-written story, but it is more than that, it reminds us about the dangers of apathy.

The story portrays one young woman’s mental and physical travels from when she lands in the UK from Kenya to claim asylum. The challenges faced by asylum seekers is hidden from most in the west although it is happening all around us and apparently with our consent. Author Jason Donald describes this world in detail without finger pointing or blame but manages to tease out our own frustrations and anger.

I loved this book but hate the fact that it had to be written. Dalila should be required reading to remind us all that evil acts don’t always require evil people.

3 people found this helpful

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Mrs Mac

Highly recommend. Not always an easy read but a story that needs to be told.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 May 2018

Verified Purchase

This is obviously a very topical book given the current plight of asylum seekers and you really get drawn into Dalila’s story and the people she meets, good and bad. I fear her treatment at the hands of a largely unsympathetic system is probably highly accurate. Sympathetically written, at times brutal, but sometimes funny too...e.g. the bemusement of Dalila seeing Scottish people walking their dogs and using their poo bags. Highly recommend this second novel by a talented up and coming author.

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Daniela I. Norris

A story of our times, told with skill, depth and sensitivity

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 February 2017

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This gripping novel weaves the threads of the life of Dalila Irene Mwathi, a 21-year-old asylum seeker from Kenya escaping violence and persecution in her homeland. She arrives in the UK and meets some compassionate and beautiful people – but also faces the unfaltering and often cruel system of the Home Office and its representatives, who know nothing of the horrors she faced – and don’t really care to know. She is just another unwanted immigrant. A story of our times, told with skill, depth and sensitivity.

2 people found this helpful

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Elaine Harris

A story of today

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 January 2017

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Dalila is an ordinary young woman who becomes extraordinary. This is very much a story of today.It is beautifully written and I guarantee you will laugh and cry .Dalila will have an impact on your life.

One person found this helpful

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Russophile

Must read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 July 2018

Verified Purchase

Must read book for those interested in the inhumane way the UK government treats 'illegal' immigrants and the very serious consequences to these helpless individuals.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 April 2017

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Great book, it has a bit of the "I Daniel Blake" about it. I loved it.

2 people found this helpful

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Mrs G Field

Worth reading

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 March 2018

Verified Purchase

Brilliant book well written and very thought provoking.

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Dalila Hardcover – 19 Jan. 2017

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