Book Giveaway: A Death in the Family by Ryhaan Shah

[TinaMumsnet]

When devout Muslim and businessman Mohammed Ahmad Ally dies, his family gather for the religious rites and burial. But where colleagues remember a kind and generous man, his children recall someone completely different.

As the family open up to each other, Ally's death becomes a transformative event that leads them to renew their familial ties.

This week we've got 50 copies of A Death in the Family by Ryaan Shah to giveaway, click here to find out more and apply for your copy.

Don't forget, if you're lucky enough to receive a free copy, please tell us what you thought about it on the thread below or in our Books review section.

This giveaway is sponsored by Cutting Edge Press

Looks a very dark read ... not something I would usually go for!!

Sounds very interesting!

Hi, This giveaway is now closed. Thanks to all who applied. We'll be in touch with the winners shortly.

Thank you Mumsnet for my copy of this book - started it at the weekend and it's proving to be a really interesting read. A death opens many doors and changes life for those left behind...

Thank you for my copy of this book. I really enjoyed it. It is a quick read with interesting, well drawn characters who have variously differing views of the same man which develop in the aftermath of his death. It was also fascinating to read about life in Guyana, about which I knew very little before reading the book.

Thank you Mumsnet for my copy, a fascinating read.
Based in Guyana, the book only covers a few days after the father of an Islamic family dies and they all join up for the funeral. The characters are very warm and real, and you do feel empathy for them. Unfortunately it seems that the father of 2 daughters and a son has caused much hurt and distress during their lives, from the fact their mother had died, and her family blamed him, to being too controlling with his children.

As the family talk, they begin to put the hurt into the past and plan to move on with their own lives.
Well written, emotional and enjoyable.

When someone significant in your life like a parent dies it does provoke those reminisenses that became entrenched in your childhood memory. You start to look back from an adult viewpoint and begin to see things differently. This was a powerful book that I found compelling. The father had influenced his childrens lives in such a controlling manner - but had it all been for the best?

Trying to get hold of a hard copy of this book. It's not on amazon. Anyone read their's and willing to pass/sell on?

Thanks a lot for the book. It was interesting as the story behind his life unravelled. He sounded horrible and left behind a lot of hurt. It was a short book can be read in a few days.

It took a while to actually read it, but once started it went down in one go. A real page turner and powerful book. It deals with a country most of us need to Google and brings to light a subject most of us never wish to Google. Well written and emotion provoking.

A Death in the Family.

I was fortunate enough to receive a copy of this book in the giveaway. It is my first book by Ryaan Shah.

It is not at all my usual read as I generally go for crime novels and thrillers. However, I enjoyed this well-detailed novel as something completely different.

An unusual tale about family relationships, parents’ expectations of their children, and the pain and unhappiness that can result.

The setting is Guyana and the story takes place over the period of a few days. The event is the funeral of one family’s patriarch, a well-respected man within his community. The children of the deceased, Mohammed Ahmad Ally, assemble at the family home for his funeral.

As the story progresses it becomes clear that this father’s traditional beliefs, values and hopes for his children become expectations which have profound and far-reaching effects on his children well into adulthood. The novel explores their feelings about how their lives have turned out and of their own hopes and desires. The funeral forces them to consider their mixed feelings of grief and resentment for the father they have lost, the choices they have made themselves in life both good and bad, and their plans for the future.

I found myself drawn to the well portrayed, colourful characters, despite their flaws. Delightfully written with a beautifully portrayed setting. A compelling, thought-provoking novel which kept me gripped until the end.

A strong book that looks into the family relationships, parents’ expectations of their children, and the pain and unhappiness that can result.
The father’s traditional beliefs, values and hopes for his children become expectations which have profound and far-reaching.

This book explores the feelings about how lives have turned out. The funeral forces the family to consider their mixed feelings of grief and resentment for the father they have lost and for the choices they have made in life.