Irenosen Okojie and I were lucky enough to judge the 2019 ALCS Tom Gallon Short Story prize, and our unanimous and clear winner was Dima Alzayat’s ‘Once We Were Syrians’. Her first collection opens with ‘Ghusl’, a shattering, yet restrained story of grief, memory and family. Look out for the collection when it’s published in May. 

from Alligator and Other Stories, Picador, May 2020