Governor General’s Award Finalist  

Sabine has a happy life in Uganda, until the “countdown monster” changes everything – ordering her and everyone like her to leave their home and their country.

It is 1972, and fifteen-year-old Sabine enjoys a comfortable life as the daughter of Indian parents living in Uganda. But her world is turned upside down when the country’s military President, General Idi Amin, declares Indians must be “weeded out” of the country in ninety days.

At first, Sabine does not believe that as Indians born in Uganda they will be forced to leave their beloved home. It all seems so unfair. But as the countdown continues, Sabine’s eyes are opened to the poverty and hostility around her. She begins to realize that she has lived a life of privilege compared to most Ugandans. Even her best friend, Zena, turns away from her and tells her she does not belong. When Sabine’s beloved Uncle goes missing and soldiers raid the family home, her father and mother are forced to flee. Sabine is left to take charge of her and her brother’s fate, using all her strength and resilience to find a way to escape the Uganda that used to be her home.

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