The Street Hawker's Apprentice

A Dickensian tale of two young boys from opposite sides of the track who form a bond of friendship and brotherhood as they survive the streets of Lagos. The Street Hawker's Apprentice is an exquisite debut novel from Kabir Kareem-Bello and one of the highly anticipated titles from Jacaranda's #TwentyIn2020 programme for Black British writers.

Temilola is a kind-hearted boy from the upper echelons of Nigerian society who wakes up alone in the middle of Lagos and discovers that he has lost his memory. He soon finds that this is the least of his problems, as he must now attempt to survive the dangerous streets of Lagos.

Vipaar, who has been making a living as a hawker of random necessities on the streets of Lagos, finds Temilola and, after a violent first encounter, reluctantly takes him under his wing.

They form a strong bond as they strive to make a meagre living selling mobile phone chargers to passing motorists on the dangerous highways of Lagos. The boys navigate the ruthless underbelly of Lagos and learn just how far they will go to protect themselves and each other. When tragedy strikes, their bond is broken and they are forced to separate from each other. Will the two friends find each other again after they both face increasing brutality, pain and sorrow? Or will their destinies have diverged enough to tear them apart forever?