In Conversation With Tawseef Khan
Tawseef Khan spent years as an immigration lawyer, protecting vulnerable people and helping them find home in a country that could be hostile to those who needed him the most.
His latest novel, Determination, is based on those experiences.
In conversation about his brand-new book, his career as an immigration lawyer and what it takes to start again, join Tawseef for an evening like no other.
About The Book
About Determination
Jamila Shah is twenty-nine and exhausted.
An immigration solicitor tasked with running the precious family law firm, Jamila is prone to being woken in the middle of the night by frantic phone calls from clients on the cusp of deportation. Working under the shadow of the government’s ‘hostile environment’, she constantly prays and hopes that their ‘determinations’ will result in her clients being allowed to stay.
With no time for friends, family or even herself (never mind a needy partner), Jamila’s life feels hectic and out of control. Then a breakdown of sorts forces her to seek change – to pursue her own happiness while navigating the endless expectations that the world seems to have of her, and still committing herself to a career devoted to helping others.
In this polyphonic, assured and character-driven debut, we meet the staff of Shah & Co Solicitors, who themselves arrived in the UK not too long ago, and their clients, more recent arrivals who are made to jump through hoops to create a life for themselves whilst trying to achieve some semblance of normality.
Praise for Determination
‘A compassionate, beautifully told portrait’ GUY GUNARATNE
‘This is absorbing, witty, eloquent fiction, as well as a trenchant political critique’ TOM BENN
‘A hymn to empathy, alive with care and love’ REBECCA WATSON
‘A heartbreaking, honest, and deeply important story’ JYOTI PATEL
About Tawseef
Tawseef Khan was born in Manchester in 1986. He is a qualified solicitor specialising in Immigration and Asylum Law as well as a human rights activist with over ten years of experience on queer, refugee and Muslim issues. In 2016, he obtained a doctoral degree from the University of Liverpool, where his thesis explored the experiences of lesbian, gay and bisexual asylum-seekers under the British asylum system.
He was a recipient of a Northern Writers Award in 2017 and a grant from Arts Council England to develop a novel-in-stories about life as an immigration solicitor. His writing has featured in the New York Times, and his debut non-fiction book Muslim, Actually was published by Atlantic in 2021. His debut novel Determination, was published by Footnote in 2024. He lives in Manchester.
The Details
6.45PM: Grab a seat upstairs and settle in with a tea, coffee or something from our brand new wine bar
7.00PM: In conversation with Tawseef
7.30PM: Q&A with Tawseef
7.45PM: Get your book signed