Ishmael's Oranges

Shortlisted for the Jewish Quarterly-Wingate Prize 2016

A finalist for the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award 2015

It’s April 1948, and war hangs over Jaffa.

One minute seven-year-old Salim is dreaming of taking his first harvest from the family’s orange tree; the next he is swept away into a life of exile and rage. Seeking a new beginning in swinging-’60s London, Salim falls in love with Jude. The only problem? Jude is Jewish.

A captivating story about love and loss, Ishmael’s Oranges follows the story of two families spanning the crossroad events of modern times, and of the legacy of hatred their children inherit.

Claire Hajaj shares both Palestinian and Jewish heritage. Her childhood was split between the the Middle East and rural England. She has lived on four continents and worked for the United Nations in war zones from Burma to Beirut. She is a former journalist.