Eighteen-year-old Aine Kamara has been anticipating a reunion with her older sister, Mbabazi, for months. But when Mbabazi shows up with an unexpected guest, Aine must confront an old fear: her beloved sister is gay in a country with tight anti-homosexuality laws.

Over a weekend at Aine's all girls' boarding school, sisterly bonds strengthen, and a new friendship emerges between Aine and her sister's partner, Achen.

Later, a sudden death in the family brings Achen to Mbabazi's and Aine's home village, resulting in tensions that put Mrs. Kamara's Christian beliefs to the test.

She issues an ultimatum, forcing Mbabazi to make a difficult choice, but Aine must too. Unable to convince Mama to reconsider, Aine runs away to Mbabazi's and Achen's home in Kampala.

There she reconnects with Elia, the sophomore at Makerere University she's had a crush on for a while. (From House of Anansi Press)

Everything is Fine Here is available in April 2025.

Iryn Tushabe is a Ugandan Canadian writer and journalist based in Regina. Her writing has appeared in publications such as Briarpatch Magazine, Adda, Grain Magazine, The Walrus and CBC Saskatchewan. She won the City of Regina writing award in both 2020 and 2024, and was a finalist for the Caine Prize for African Writing in 2021. In 2023, she won the Writers' Trust McClelland & Stewart Journey Prize. She was longlisted for the CBC Nonfiction Prize in 2016.