In the Palace of Flowers

In the Persian royal court, even death is a privilege. At the funeral of a nobleman, Jamila watches the mourning rites and realises what she has always known: her own death will pass unremarked, her life unacknowledged.

An Abyssinian slave in the royal court of Iran's Qajar dynasty, Jamila has learned to survive. But survival is not enough. Determined not to be forgotten, she and Abimelech, a fellow Abyssinian slave and eunuch, navigate the deadly politics of the palace, from the intrigues of the harem to the radicals gathering beyond its walls.

Atmospheric, richly imagined and deeply moving, In the Palace of Flowers is a sweeping historical novel about identity, resilience and the universal desire to be seen, remembered and valued.