Orange for the Sunsets

Yesofu and Asha are best friends living in Uganda. They’ve never cared about their differences until Idi Amin declares all Indians in Uganda have ninety days to leave. Suddenly, all Yesofu and Asha begin to notice are their differences. Asha clings to her upperclass lifestyle while Yesofu begins to question everything around him and becomes increasingly frustrated by Asha’s refusal to examine the class differences between them. As the tensions between Indians and Africans intensify, Yesofu and Asha have to decide if their friendship will be able to withstand this upheaval.

Yesofu and Asha’s experiences are told in alternating chapters, a stylistic approach which allows the reader to get to know each character quite well. The complexities of this period in history are explained thoroughly but without explicit violence, making Orange for the Sunsets suitable for younger readers. Though this is a historical tale, it is a timely one that examines the complexity of figurative and literal walls and discusses these issues with compassion and hope.