A Guide to the Birds of East Africa: A Novel

For the past three years, Mr. Malik, a widower and avid birdwatcher, has been secretly in love with Rose Mbikwa, the lovely woman who leads the Tuesday morning bird walk sponsored by the East African Ornithological Society. Beneath his unassuming exterior and carefully sculpted comb-over lies a warm and passionate heart. But just as he gets up the nerve to ask Rose to the annual Nairobi Hunt Club Ball—Nairobi’s social event of the season—a boyhood nemesis arrives and becomes equally enraptured with Rose.
 
Rather than force her to choose between them, the two men agree to a clever solution: whoever can identify the most species of birds in one week’s time will win the privilege of asking Ms. Mbikwa to the ball. Set against a lush Kenyan landscape rich with wildlife and political intrigue, this humorous novel is a “welcome respite from our crazy world” (USA Today).
 
“This charming novel . . . If you are a fan of Alexander McCall Smith’s, you’ll find Drayson’s knowing, sprightly writing just as entertaining.” —People
 
“[This book is] a sheer delight for birders and nonbirders alike.” —Minneapolis Star-Tribune
 
“As bright and perky as a purple-backed sunbird.” —TheNew York Times Book Review