About the Book

An intimate epistolary novel following a Sierra Leonean woman's journey from civil war refugee to survivor of trafficking and exploitation, refusing to be silenced by the global forces that prey on the vulnerable.

When war scatters her family and fate drives her to the edge, Adamasay must navigate a world that devours the innocent—and find a voice that refuses to be silenced.

In Sierra Leone, Adamasay’s childhood fractures in the thunder of civil war. She flees across borders—first as a refugee in Guinea, then as a survivor in Freetown, and later in the shadows of London—caught in a world where displacement and exploitation shape every choice.

Pushed toward prostitution and forced to negotiate dignity day by day, Adamasay confronts human trafficking, domestic worker abuse, and gender-based violence. Yet her story is also one of fierce resilience: a brother to protect, strangers who become lifelines, and the memory of a friendship that once shimmered with hope.

Told in an intimate epistolary voice, The Brilliance of a Million Suns explores the inseparable weave of the personal and the political—war and migration, Islamophobia and racism, colonial legacies, and the global forces that prey on the vulnerable. Unflinching and deeply human, it is a powerful testament to survival and the quiet revolution of a woman who refuses to be erased.

About the Author

Alieu Bundu fell in love with storytelling at a very tender age. It was his maternal grandmother who infused that love in him. When he discovered books later in school, he knew at once that writing was what he was going to do.

Alieu Bundu writes and sings from Sierra Leone. His story, Kwerekwere, was published by the online magazine Lolwe. In December 2021, Nipe Story adapted Kwerekwere, which was nominated for the 2022 Caine Prize for African Writing, into a podcast.

He was the runner-up for the April 2014 Africa Book Club Short Reads Competition, and he was also shortlisted for the 2017 Writivism Short Story Competition for his story Bintiya, now titled Miremba. Alieu Bundu’s epistolary novel, The Brilliance of a Million Suns, made the shortlist for the inaugural Iskanchi Book Prize.

His independently published novel, Silver Lining, and his novella, Homegoing, are available online. His EP, The Sky and Other Songs, is also available online.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Iska Press (November 24, 2026)
  • Length: 180 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781957810461

Browse Related Books

Resources and Downloads

High Resolution Images

BACK TO TOP