THE BALLOON THIEF
RELEASED 3 MARCH 400 pages | Paperback/ebook
▶ Author Aneesa Marufu
▶ Publisher Chicken House
→ There’s a lot of thinky stuff to chew on in this debut from 24-year-old Aneesa Marufu. Using a fantastical South Asian-inspired setting, The Balloon Thief explores both women’s rights and racism (flipping the status quo, so that darker skins rule whiter ones). Don’t hesitate for fear these themes will be rammed down your throat: Marufu skilfully avoids heavy-handedness, and her tale also includes fascinating magic, jinn, ifrits and alternate dimensions.