River Spirit
About the Book
1880s Sudan. When Akuany and her brother are orphaned in a village raid, they are taken in by Yaseen, a young merchant. Yaseen’s vow to care for them will tether him to Akuany throughout their lives. As revolution begins to brew, led by the self-proclaimed Mahdi, Sudan begins to prise itself from Ottoman rule, and everyone must choose a side.
Yaseen feels beholden to stand against this false Mahdi, a decision that threatens to splinter his family. Meanwhile, Akuany moves through her young adulthood and across the country alone, sold and traded from house to house, with only Yaseen as her intermittent lifeline. Their struggle will mirror the increasingly bloody struggle for Sudan itself: for freedom, safety and the possibility of love.
River Spirit is the unforgettable story of a people who, against the odds and for a brief time, gained independence from foreign rule. This is a powerful tale of corruption and unshakeable devotion – to a cause, to one’s faith and to the people who become family.
About the Author
Leila Aboulela is an award-winning novelist celebrated for her distinctive exploration of identity, migration and Islamic spirituality. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, Aboulela was awarded the inaugural Caine Prize for African Writing and the PEN Pinter Prize in 2025. Her novels – including Bird Summons, Minaret, The Translator and The Kindness of Enemies – have been translated into fifteen languages. Aboulela’s most recent works include the novella A New Year, selected as a World Book Night title in 2025, and River Spirit, shortlisted for the HWA Gold Crown Award and named a Best Book of the Year at The Herald and The New York Times. She is also the author of the short story collection, Elsewhere, Home, which won the Saltire Fiction Book Award. Born and raised in Sudan, Aboulela moved to Scotland in her mid-twenties, where she continues to live and write.
Reviews
'Dazzling … A love story that endures.' New York Times
‘Kaleidoscopic and heartfelt.’ Nadifa Mohamed
'Captivating … Through a compelling chorus of voices … Aboulela unspools the fraught story of Sudan, as freedom and faith do battle.' Daily Mail
‘A blazing historical epic of war, love, and revolution ... River Spirit is a magnificent novel about the price of unwavering devotion and the inexhaustible pursuit for freedom.' LA Review of Books
‘A novel of extraordinary sympathy and insight … a wonderful achievement.’ Abdulrazak Gurnah, Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature
‘An evocative and delicately composed historical novel of Sudan.' Literary Hub
' River Spirit had me gripped from the first page. This is real history, imagined in splendid detail – a story of ordinary people caught in extraordinary times. River Spirit is a triumph of storytelling.’ Aminatta Forna
‘Leila Aboulela holds a unique place in Scottish literature … Her narratives glow with a rare beauty, a shining sensual awareness of the joy of life.’ The Scotsman
‘Zamzam and Yaseen’s love story is moving and gripping, sweeping the reader along hoping that they will end up together against the odds. Highly recommended.’ Library Journal
Awards
A New York Times Historical Book of the Year 2023
HWA Crown Awards 2023 (Shortlisted)
The Jhalak Prize 2024 (Longlisted) → Prize Website
The Kavya Prize 2024 (Longlisted) → Prize Website
