Book Recommendations

Kololo Hill

By Neema Shah

Fiction, Family Life, General, Cultural Heritage, Literary, City Life, Social Science, Race & Ethnic Relations, Emigration & Immigration, Discrimination | 352 pages
1 recommendation

From the green hilltops of Kampala, to the terraced houses of London, Neema Shah’s extraordinarily moving debut Kololo Hill explores what it means to leave your home behind, what it takes to start again, and the lengths some will go to protect their loved ones.

'Shah explores the chaos and fear of ordinary people’s lives during Amin’s rule, weaving personal stories of love and betrayal into heightening tension and violence . . . nail-biting.' - Independent


Uganda, 1972. A devastating decree is issued: all Ugandan Asians must leave the country in ninety days. They must take only what they can carry, give up their money and never return.

For Asha and Pran, married a matter of months, it means abandoning the family business that Pran has worked so hard to save. For his mother, Jaya, it means saying goodbye to the house that has been her home for decades.

But violence is escalating in Kampala, and people are disappearing. Will they all make it to safety in Britain and will they be given refuge if they do?

And all the while, a terrible secret about the expulsion hangs over them, threatening to tear the family apart.

‘[An] incredible debut’ - Stylist

Latest recommendations
Ian Patterson
29th Jan 2025
"Set in Uganda in 1972, when General Idi Amin decreed that all Ugandan Asians had to leave the country within 90 days. It depicts the brutal dictator’s regime and the devastating impact it had on Uganda's Asian community. The novel is based on the author’s own family’s experience of life in Uganda at that time, enduring a terrifying upheaval and becoming refugees. Kololo Hill is an area of Kampala. I was drawn to this novel as I was living in Kampala as a young child with my parents when the military coup happened and I wanted to gain an insight into this awful period in Uganda’s history. The book is a beautifully moving portrayal of a family’s survival during a violently turbulent time. A thoroughly compelling read and highly recommended."