The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years

A haunting, a love story, a mystery and a touching quest for belonging unfold in Shubnum Khan’s atmospheric South African novel. Set on the eastern coast, it follows Sana as a modern teenager drawn to Akbar Manzil, a grand mansion perched above Durban that once symbolised a family’s prosperity. Decades earlier, Meena lived there and fell in love with its owner, leaving a story that time tried to forget. As Sana digs into the building’s faded history, a grieving djinn stirs from a long sleep, weaving together love, loss and the search for home. The book has been praised for its wonder, colour and richly imagined coming-of-age journey.

Eight decades later, Akbar Manzil stands in ruins and operates as a boarding house for eccentrics and misfits. Sana’s curiosity about the ruined east wing draws her toward Meena’s tale, and the house becomes a place where people come to forget—or to be forgotten. The narrative blends memory and myth, inviting readers to witness how the past shapes a young girl’s sense of belonging.

• Set around Akbar Manzil, a cliffside Durban mansion
• Sana and Meena’s stories span decades and worlds
• A grieving djinn awakens as the mystery unfolds
• Themes of grief, belonging, and South Africa’s past
• Lush, atmospheric prose and a richly imagined coast