November 2017 Debut of the Month
Yonas and his best friend Gebre have escaped from Eritrea, East Africa, and fled to England, a horrific journey. Once in England they are forced to work unpaid, preparing shellfish. They are told the work is to repay the trafficker. They live in appalling conditions in the factory where they work and survive on little food. Eventually Yonas escapes, Gebre does not. Yonas’ hopes of freedom soon evaporate despite being befriended by some remarkable people. He goes to an organisation which helps immigrants where he applies to remain in England. He is not allowed to earn money while waiting for his case. The whole bureaucratic system is quite startling. Enter the defending barrister Jude and her story, not quite as “life changing” as the publishers imply, [Louise you may wish to cut the last phrase]but a fascinating contrast which deeply affects her. It is a gripping story, initially told in statements which must reflect what is happening to thousands in Europe, good, kind people who are escaping horror but the authorities make it very hard for them. Read this, you certainly can’t fail to be moved. Sarah Broadhurst
| Primary Genre | Thriller and Suspense |
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Win an Escape Challenge and a copy of The Spy and the Snake by M J Robotham
Closing date: 02/08/2026
Yonas Kelati: born in Eritrea, 2nd March 1975. Barely surviving a bloody civil war, Yonas Kelati has no option but to flee his home. After a terrible journey, he arrives on a bleak English coast on 10th September 2015.
Jude Bracknell: born in England, 2nd March 1975. Human rights lawyer Jude had already packed up to go home when Yonas' asylum application lands on her desk on 20th May 2016.
Opening the file, she finds a patchwork of contradictory witness statements: a lifetime exactly the same length as hers, reduced to a few scraps of paper.In one week's time, Jude will stand up in court and tell Yonas' story - and how she tells it will change his life forever. But can there ever be a single version of the truth?
The Invisible Crowd features in the following genres: Thriller and Suspense, Debut Books of the Month, Modern and Contemporary Fiction, eBooks of the Month, Fiction, Recommendations, General Fiction, Romance / Relationship Stories
The Invisible Crowd is available in Paperback, Hardback
The Invisible Crowd was written by Ellen Wiles and published by HQ an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
The Invisible Crowd has 338 pages