Zuko does not speak. He sees patterns, though – in the clouds, stones, arch of the sun. Some say he is cursed; his true condition has not been diagnosed. To Ash, Zuko is his little brother, all he has left in the world. After having to bury their sister and mother, Ash is leading his brother to the city to find their father. Will he take them in?

After burying their sister and mother, two brothers embark on a journey to the city in search of their only remaining family. On the brink of manhood, Ash must protect eight-year-old Zuko, who does not speak, his words stuck somewhere between his thoughts and his mouth. But Zuko, enchanted by nature and the rhythms of walking, seems more interested in the patterns he sees in the clouds, the stones, and the arc of the light, than in when their journey will end. When Ash finally realises who he is – and who he is not – he must make his first authentic choice as an independent being. But can he offer his brother the same freedom, the same choices, in the face of those who have already mapped out Zuko’s future? Beautifully written, this is a poignant, big-hearted story that is sure to linger in the reader’s mind.

Kirsten Miller is the author of All is Fish, shortlisted for the EU Literary Award, Sister Moon, and The Hum of the Sun, winner of the Wilbur and Niso Smith Foundation’s Prize for Best Unpublished Manuscript. Her non-fiction book, Children on the Bridge, on working in the field of autism, was longlisted for the Alan Paton Award. She lives in Durban.