Learned Behaviours

by Zeynab Gamieldien

The past is calling him home ...As a prospective barrister, Zaid Saban is on the cusp of achieving everything he has dreamed of. His social and professional world is far removed from his schoolyard days in the suburbs of western Sydney, even more far removed from the traumatic events of his final year of school in which his best friend, Hass, was arrested for murder.

Zaid thinks he has put all this behind him. But when Hass’s sister, Amira, finds him and asks him to read her brother’s diary, Zaid is pulled back to the very world he had left behind. Is it possible that Hass was innocent? As Amira and Zaid seek to solve the mystery of what happened all those years ago, Zaid is forced to confront the ugliness of the past and what it means for who he is today.

PRAISE FOR LEARNED BEHAVIOURS
‘a yarn that’s both a page-turner and a warm-hearted analysis of human nature, as humane as it is sophisticated’ – Readings Monthly

‘Compelling and pacy, it demonstrates an acute awareness of experiences of privilege and subordination, without being preachy.’ – Guardian 

‘Storytelling at its most gripping, a gaze at its most unflinching... A mystery that twists the genre’s tropes to excavate injustices and the mythologies of guilt and innocence that fuel them—layer by layer, truth by uncomfortable truth.’ – Sara M Saleh, author of Songs for the Dead and the Living

‘A clear-eyed and deeply moving exploration of past injustice, privilege, and belonging. Zeynab Gamieldien lays bare what it is to inhabit two worlds in contemporary slipping in and out of your skin to navigate the spaces you are granted entry to and perpetually second-guessing the rules of admittance.’ – Dinuka McKenzie, author of The Torrent 

‘Compelling, complex and even chilling. Learned Behaviours is a concentrated look into the murderous cycle of stereotypes. Yet, within its pages of crime and consequence lies a quiet defiance – the possibility of unlearning, reclaiming, and rupturing that very cycle. A thrilling and thought-provoking read.’ – Winnie Dunn, author of Dirt Poor Islanders

‘A compelling new novel filled with a genuine sense of mystery, set against a western Sydney backdrop.’– Amani Haydar, author of The Mother Wound

297 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 29, 2025

Reviews

[Natasha (jouljet) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A long ago murder lies unscrutinized following the suicide of the accused. A murder mystery in such a unique revisionist form, with the need to right wrongs, discover truths, and maybe find themselves in their examining of the past.

A young professional barrister is visited in his office one Friday afternoon by the sister of his best friend from high school. She wants to review the traumatic past of their finals weeks at school, that led to the demise of her brother. He has been trying to live as far away from those memories, and that life and personal history, as he can as he seeks to climb the career ladder.

Tales of his teenage self, those final months of schooling and the culmination of events that shaped him. Zaid faces a reckoning he has not allowed himself to consider in all this time. Until now.

High school in Western Sydney, with all the labels and reputations, the expectations, good and bad, placed upon each young person, is a brutal place. Trying to be yourself, make friends, and be somebody is a fesa stacked against kids, right from the start.

The burden of expectations, reputations, unfair judgements and assumptions, and the unfair challenge of battling those narratives, as well as the usual quest for good marks, ambitious dreams, and the hope of friendship, all form this mix of much looking back, and re-examining.

Such a problematic character, Zaid is difficult to like, and yet a compelling creation to move through this quagmire of emotions, memories, and confronting personal truths.

A book to challenge assumptions and postcode tropes, and an intriguing set of histories and present to form an engaging read.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5. Murder mystery, cautionary tale, love story? Left strong impression of experience of racism and classism for Zaid pursuing law career. But found the murder mystery painfully drawn out, with Amira drip feeding Zaid notes from Hass's diary (her brother, Zaid's best friend, accused murderer). As for Amira forgiving Zaid's betrayal of her brother ... hmmm.

[Sam Clare · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the premise. Found it interesting that Zaid never had to face consequences for his actions lol. I also couldn’t understand why fingers were pointed at Vinnie when he had one moment of anger at Becky?

I think Zaid needs to do some self reflection on his attachment issues. Hass is allowed to have more than one friend!

Also justice for Emily for being a good person to Zaid and Zaid treating her like shit.

The more I write this review, the more I really dislike Zaid

[Amy Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

.....📚 𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 📚.....

Learned Behaviours by Australian author Zeynab Gamieldien’s is a gripping novel that masterfully weaves together a murder mystery, a love story, and a coming-of-age narrative. This compelling novel delivers a sharp, nuanced commentary on race, class, privilege, and identity in contemporary Australia.

As a prospective barrister, Zaid Saban is on the cusp of achieving everything he has dreamed of. His social and professional world is far removed from his schoolyard days in the suburbs of western Sydney, even more far removed from the traumatic events of his final year of school in which his best friend, Hass, was arrested for murder.
Zaid thinks he has put all this behind him. But when Hass’s sister, Amira, finds him and asks him to read her brother’s diary, Zaid is pulled back to the very world he had left behind. Is it possible that Hass was innocent? As Amira and Zaid seek to solve the mystery of what happened all those years ago, Zaid is forced to confront the ugliness of the past and what it means for who he is today.
What unfolds is a layered investigation not just into the crime, but into the social structures and personal histories that shaped it.

This story doesn't easily fit into a genre. Whilst it does look back on an old crime, it's more a story of connection and a social commentary on the intimate struggles of identity and the resounding reverberations of cultural history. Zeynab Gamieldien exposes the reality of living between two worlds in modern Australia, where you’re constantly adjusting to fit into spaces you’re allowed into, all while questioning whether you truly belong and what it takes to be let in. This is one I'll be thinking about for a while.
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Thank you @ultimopress for my copy in exchange for an honest review.
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[Alice Jones1234567 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learned behaviours is Zeynab Gamielden’s second novel, set in Sydney’s working class migrant suburbs. It follows Zaid, and Hass, who are best friends and students at a local selective public school. The story alternates between their time in their final year of school, and many years later, when Zaid is a 30-something barrister trainee.

It appears to be a mystery - Hass is accused of killing schoolmate Becky, and commits suicide. Even at the start of the novel there are questions about whether he really did it.

However the book is really a coming of age story, and a comment on class, privilege, racism and the impact of our upbringing and schooling on our later years. I definitely enjoyed it, but I noticed some details that didn’t make complete sense to me:

- Tapey is frequently described as gentle, but Zaid is best friends with Hass, and later Amira, who are from a much poorer family, and who have violent older brothers. It’s true they have Islam in common, but is this enough?

- In the same vein, Zaid’s sister Iman also married an abusive man in London. Why does she do this, if there’s no family history of it? Why doesn’t she ask her family for help sooner?

- Hass commits suicide after being accused of killing Becky. It’s true he wouldn’t have had money for legal representation, and his older brothers’ crimes might make him look guilty. But why does he commit suicide at that point, and not wait to fight his case (perhaps with help of Legal Aid) if he is in fact innocent? Is the suicide really about the criminal accusation or about the betrayal by Zaid?

- Zaid betrays Hass due to jealousy - of his academic success and possibly his relationship with Becky. But the book suggests this is the first time he does this after a friendship that spans many years. Why does he suddenly throw the friendship away like this? He has been aware of Hass’ ability for some time - is it really so hard to have him recognised even once? Is Becky the first time Hass has had a friend apart from Zaid? Surely not?

- Mr Tanner is depicted as inappropriate with his students at times, and we later find out he has been abusing Becky. Do the other girls not already know this? Is Becky the only one who Mr Tanner abuses? Why is Hass the first person she has told? Why doesn’t Mr Tanner have a worse reputation at the school, and why does Ms Gregory not suspect more/ do more at the time?

[Poppy Gee · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Sydney settings in this excellent novel - Canterbury-Bankstown area, the business district of Martin Place, and the eastern and northern beach suburbs – collectively illuminate a collision of worlds that’s not frequently portrayed in crime fiction.
Barrister-in-training Zaid Saban grew up in ‘The Area’ in western Sydney and is struggling to fit into a Martin Place law firm. An early career lawyer, he’s trying to impress the partners. He’s smart, intuitive and likeable, but those gifts don’t guarantee him an accurate read of the social nuances. Zaid is always ‘on’: analysing the people and places around him. From board room meetings to social gatherings at a colleague’s beach house, his experience is nettled with socially awkward moments in which he feels like he’s saying or doing the wrong thing. Adding to the pressure is his lack of money. Trainee barristers have inconsistent payment schedules, and for those without savings or parental help, it’s difficult.
One day Amira, a woman he knows from high school, turns up at the office. She believes that an innocent man was blamed for the murder of a fellow student when they were teenagers and she needs his help. This is the catalyst for a gripping mystery that weaves between the past and the present, unravelling a web of secrets, hidden trauma, betrayal and misplaced loyalties in the pursuit of justice.
What makes this novel so interesting and satisfying is not just the fascinating conversations that unfold over bubble tea, and in Zaid's family home, and at work, but the scope of backstories that include apartheid in District 6, South Africa, the issue of reparations, and domestic violence in London. Learned Behaviours also offers a blistering assessment of the ways teachers can elevate or devastate a student’s potential, a situation heightened when a family is unable to provide support for that student.
Swimming is a clever metaphor in this book. Zaid can float, but he can’t swim, and it’s a useful statement about white privilege. Despite working hard and having a prestigious degree, Zaid’s ability to navigate a legal career is challenged by not having the same generational advantages, education and lifestyle of the other young lawyers. Swimming reveals geographic disadvantages in a city like Sydney, where kids don’t have equal access to swimming pools and the ocean, and swimming lessons. Underlying this social commentary is a beautiful creek near Zaid’s school that is a place of respite and of tragedy.
Zaid is an observant and compelling narrator, and combined with Amira’s sharp, heartfelt and funny perspective, Learned Behaviours is a brilliant literary mystery, and a thought-provoking commentary on race and class in contemporary Australia.

[Soaliha · Rating 5 out of 5]

To describe Learned Behaviours as a crime novel feels crass because the story is far more sophisticated, restrained and introspective than the genre implies. Zeynab Gamieldien’s expertly woven mystery novel doubles as an unflinching and defiant interrogation of class and racial marginalisation in Sydney. Her searing depiction of the way class power operates to alienate the disenfranchised is tempered with her compassion and respect for those victimised by it — this is not a murder mystery that dehumanises the death central to its plot. Zaid’s past and his reckoning with his present will leave some uncomfortable, others seen. I read almost all of it in one sitting, and as someone who grew up in western Sydney and now lives elsewhere, working in a profession that is largely white and which class plays a major role in success, it was deeply resonant.

(These review is an excerpt from my book column with Missing Perspective.)

[Jehad Jabr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Learned Behaviours is a compelling mystery that delves deep into issues of privilege, class, and racial dynamics. Through a tightly woven plot, the story unravels secrets and tensions within a seemingly ordinary community, revealing the complexities beneath the surface. The characters are nuanced and the writing sharp, offering a thought-provoking exploration of social inequalities wrapped in a suspenseful narrative. A powerful read for those who appreciate mysteries with meaningful social commentary.

[Bronwen Heathfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in Sydney the story follows a young man coming to terms with his past. He comes from the Western suburbs, is a man of colour and Islamic. He is now learning to be a barrister and has buried his background. However a young woman appears and asks for his help in deciphering a diary of her brother’s. Her brother had been his best friend but was accused of murder and committed suicide. The book moves between the past and present and addresses the class system and racism of Australia as the young man engages more and more with his own history. Interesting read

[Sue Gould · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Well written and engrossing. An exploration of racism, class, stereotyping, privilege, relationships, family and expectations set in Western Sydney. Told in alternating narratives of the present and the past - the final years of school and the events that unfolded at that time for Zaid, the protagonist and his circle, and the reverberations and implications for his present as a young barrister.

[ValTheBookEater]

read to see how one life-changing event can touch so many lives. solid debut with some plot points that I wish were given more attention or space to breathe. felt like somewhere in-between a YA and adult fiction because of the nature of the flashbacks to 'then' and moving back to the 'now'.

I do wish we got to see the story from Hass' perspective, not that Zaid wasn't compelling but it was very much looking from the outside in.

[Merceiam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Coming of age novel set in contemporary south-west Sydney, offering a cultural viewpoint different to other novels I have read that are set in Sydney. My local public library attached a genre sticker on the spine indicating it was a detective style novel - nope. There is a crime but this novel is about how the characters are affected by it, not really about the solving of a mystery.

[Sami · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a brilliant one. At first it looked like a murder mystery, then a story of triumph against odds, and loss of loved ones, then a slow burn thriller. Finally, a critical look at race, class, privilege and intersection of all of them.
I found it as a fascinating read.

[Nabiha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This validates so many of my feelings about working in corporate Sydney. I fear I see too much of myself in Zaid.

[Robert Carletti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read… couldn’t put it down.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has it all. A teenage murder mystery, an exploration of the reductive effect of labels and stereotypes, the impact of fear, the stress and pressure of academic pursuits, comparison of class and privilege. The pacing was good and it alternates between now and then, so we get high school coming of age combined with the after effect of trauma. Really well done, especially in terms of the inclusion of racism and discrimination as demarcations for expectations.

[Hala · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gamieldien mixes commentary on class and privilege with a decade old mystery with varying results. Zaid is person of color trying to make it as a barrister when a tragedy that happened back in his school days comes back to haunt him. The mystery part of the book wasn't conclusive by design, and Gamieldien has a lot more to say on the social divides and white privilege prevalent in modern Australia. This is a well written book, though not as complex or indignant as I thought it would be. Recommended, with this great line summing up the gist of the book ' ... white people deciding who belongs and who doesn't on land that was never theirs to begin with.'