Praise for Umar Turaki

“Every Drop of Blood Is Red marries a thrilling, twisty premise with a moral inquiry about where we’re taken once we reach the end point of vengeance. Umar Turaki is among the most dazzling and inventive novelists I’ve come upon in years.” —Kevin Chong, The Double Life of Benson Yu

“A mysterious disease sweeps through an African village in Umar Turaki’s debut novel. Estranged siblings reunite to band against this insidious illness, highlighting the power of the everyday in this terrifying yet elegant read.” —Good Morning America

“Such a Beautiful Thing to Behold is ultimately a redemptive and uplifting text about what family means. The characters draw apart and come together again, showing an astonishing and moving amount of resilience. Though some of the characters commit unimaginable acts, their determination to prevail perfectly matches our own, and that brings great solace.” —Fredericksburg Free Lance Star

“No matter how terrible the circumstances…Umar Turaki isn’t glossing over the reality of how bad this situation could get—the changing perspectives kick in at exactly the right times to break the tension and allow a little hope back for the reader…It’s a beautiful book, and even more impressive as a debut.” —Mystery & Suspense

“Such a Beautiful Thing to Behold is dark and gloomy, but also packed with tiny moments of joy and curious revelations that show life is always worth living. This is a pandemic book that shows the ugliness of the world and the way we can turn against those who need our help the most, but it also shows the power of love and the importance of forging bonds when everything seems lost. Turaki has taken the classic pandemic novel and infused it with his own brand of hope, and that makes this a must-read novel.” —LOCUS

“There is an aching beauty woven into the lyrical prose of this novel that lingers with the reader beyond the last page. Against the richly drawn canvas of a landscape rendered vividly and with meticulous detail, a story unfolds of a family and community faced with both outward and inner desolation. Compelled to untangle the difficult questions of what it means to be both human and humane in the face of unspeakable cruelty and horror, one is drawn in and held by their resilience, courage, vulnerability, and tenderness and the inimitable power of the ties that bind.” —Colleen van Niekerk, author of A Conspiracy of Mothers

“Such a Beautiful Thing to Behold is a stark, powerful novel about family, resilience, and survival in the face of nearly insurmountable odds. Turaki’s engrossing storytelling will draw you in from the very first page, and the siblings’ determination to escape their grim fates is as harrowing as it is hopeful, reminding us that even when faced with all matters of adversity and tragedy, humanity will still seek a way to forge ahead and prevail.” —Kirthana Ramisetti, author of Dava Shastri’s Last Day

“Grim, beautiful—a stunning novel.” —T. L. Huchu, author of The Library of the Dead