Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 4 By Kamome Shirahama

From the brilliant Booker-longlisted Mohammed Hanif comes a lively, rich novel about the power of language, friendship, and protest in the face of political turmoil

When a major Pakistani political figure is hanged, OK Town erupts in protest.

A few miles away, Sir Baghi is surprised by a knock at the door of the Rebel English Academy, his tuition center that offers affordable English lessons. An unexpected visitor, Sabiha, seeks refuge at the Academy – but she has a gun, her parents are political prisoners, her husband has just died in a suspicious fire, and she’s clearly hiding something. Baghi encourages Sabiha to write, and throughout the book her life unspools on the page.

Meanwhile Captain Gul, disgraced intelligence officer, has been banished to OK Town, where he aims to silence protesters by any means necessary. But his duties – and romantic desires – begin to overlap, and his already-dubious power is further threatened.

In Rebel English Academy, Pakistan is coming into modernity, struggling under martial law after the execution of its former leader. Mohammed Hanif has constructed a vibrant cast of interconnected characters that face this changing landscape with violence, passion, and the occasional sharp humor. Wry, searing, and deeply relevant, Rebel English Academy is a triumphant new novel about political power, religion, education, sexuality, and dissent.