The Invisible Crowd
‘A fierce, big-hearted novel that celebrates the power of compassion and the resilience of the human spirit. It takes a special gift to explore an issue so urgent and so complex in such an emotionally satisfying way. Ellen Wiles has this gift.’
Joe Treasure, author of The Book of Air
‘Pushes us to find our kinder selves.’
ROWAN HISAYO BUCHANAN, AUTHOR OF HARMLESS LIKE YOU
‘A wonderful book.’
MAURICE WREN, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF THE REFUGEE COUNCIL
The Invisible Crowd is a story of serendipitous connections and what it’s like to navigate a hostile asylum system. It follows Yonas, an Eritrean asylum seeker who has been smuggled into the UK, as he navigates a hostile immigration system in his quest for leave to remain. A polyphonic narrative, it is told through the voices of various people who encounter Yonas on his journey, including a bin man, an artist, an English teacher, a Home Office interviewer, a detention centre guard, his best friend, and his barrister, Jude.
The novel was inspired by an asylum case that I worked on when I was a barrister myself, and was developed through many more years of research. It was awarded a Victor Turner Prize, and was a Guardian readers’ book of the year. It has proved very popular as a book club book. Please order it from your local bookshop or library, or search for it on Audible.
More books
Live Literature
Why have live literature events, like literary festivals and salons, become so popular in the digitalized 21st century? What is their cultural value for audiences and performers? Through experiential literary ethnographies of events such as the Hay Festival, this book seeks to answer those questions.
Saffron Shadows
This book explores the fascinating storytelling and lives of three generations of Burmese writers living under the world's most repressive censorship regime over five decades. It contains new translations of short stories, poetry, and memoir, and stories of the lives of the authors, including U Win Tin who spent 27 years in jail for his words.