On the eve of Angolan independence an agoraphobic woman  named Ludo bricks herself into her apartment for thirty years. She lives off vegetables and the pigeons, burns her furniture and books to stay alive and keeps herself busy by  writing her story on the walls of her home.

The outside world slowly seeps into Ludo’s life through snippets on the radio, voices from next door, glimpses of a man fleeing his pursuers and a note attached to a bird’s foot. Until one day she meets Sabalu, a young boy from the street who climbs up to her terrace.

‘…Agualusa’s writing is a delight throughout’ Scotsman