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The Return of Faraz Ali
The Return of Faraz Ali: A Novel | Aamina Ahmad
10 posts | 10 read | 14 to read
Sent back to his birthplaceLahores notorious red-light districtto hush up the murder of a girl, a man finds himself in an unexpected reckoning with his past. Not since childhood has Faraz returned to the Mohalla, in Lahores walled inner city, where women continue to pass down the art of courtesan from mother to daughter. But he still remembers the day he was abducted from the home he shared with his mother and sister there, at the direction of his powerful father, who wanted to give him a chance at a respectable life. Now Wajid, once more dictating his fate from afar, has sent Faraz back to Lahore, installing him as head of the Mohalla police station and charging him with a mission: to cover up the violent death of a young girl. It should be a simple assignment to carry out in a marginalized community, but for the first time in his career, Faraz finds himself unable to follow orders. As the city assails him with a jumble of memories, he cannot stop asking questions or winding through the walled citys labyrinthine alleyways chasing the secretshis familys and his ownthat risk shattering his precariously constructed existence. Profoundly intimate and propulsive, The Return of Faraz Ali is a spellbindingly assured first novel that poses a timeless question: Whom do we choose to protect, and at what price?
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review
Readerann
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Pickpick

As usual, I‘m enjoying ToB longlist books more than some on the shortlist. Historical fiction may be my favorite genre, and this one has great characters and atmosphere. Even though the narrative jumps back and forth in time (that seems to be a trend for authors these days), I didn‘t have trouble following it.

Ruthiella I love Historical Fiction! I‘ll check this out. 👍 11mo
BarbaraBB I have this one in my shelves. Thanks for the heads-up! 11mo
Readerann @Ruthiella @barbarabb Hope you like it! 11mo
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Mitch
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Loved the storytelling - it was compelling, evocative of place, complex characters and effecting politics. It did well at making big world sized issues feel experienced at a family scale. The women here endure difficult lives - but find small spaces to exercise their own agency too. It‘s full of hurt and ache, of humanity and love. Some part of very difficult to read 😢

TheBookgeekFrau I love the cover 😍 14mo
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Mitch
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Another easy bookmark choice for my current read! Loving the creation of time and place so far in this one 👍🏼

Soubhiville Beautiful book. 🧡 14mo
AmyG Gorgeous cover. 14mo
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charl08
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"Books, Inspector... Samina's addiction!"

Liz_M Middlemarch! 1y
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charl08

What if it wasn't the same? What if she went back and could no longer stand it? What if she missed the loneliness of being here? After all, hadn't this loneliness, like all the others that preceded it, become part of who she was? If she could not go back and she could not stay, what could she do but wait till she knew, till something or someone decided it for her? And what was waiting but more loneliness?

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Sophronisba
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It was said, or so he had been told: Fatima, beloved daughter of the Prophet, had not felt the heat of the fire as she stirred a pot of simmering halva with her hand. She didn't feel the burning sugar climbing her arm, darkening to the color of her skin, such was her grief.

#FridayReads #FirstLineFriday

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ClairesReads
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An impressive debut. This starts like a crime novel, but Ahmad pivots from the conventions of this genre into a complex exploration of Pakistani history, the rippling impact of corruption, and the weight of parenthood. It‘s a gritty, demanding read which rewards the attention you pay it.

charl08 Great review! I just finished this, fascinating read. 1y
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BookwormM
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Pickpick

#ARC #Netgalley #ReturnOfFarazAli

This ARC was provided by Hodder and Stoughton via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.

The first but surely not the last an author to watch out for!

Wow for a debut author this novel shows immense talent. The story is immersive the characters flawed but likeable and the corruption all too believable.

Full review here https://thereadersroom.org/2022/05/02/the-return-of-faraz-ali-by-aamina-ahmad/

BarbaraBB I‘ve heard good things about this one! 2y
BookwormM @BarbaraBB think you would like it 2y
BarbaraBB Thanks, I think so too. I will be on the lookout for it! 2y
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Floresj
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This one took me a little bit to get into, but I‘m glad I didn‘t quit. The characters picked up steam midway through the book, through backstories and additional family members telling their stories. Good debut novel!

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Vansa
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So difficult to read that, because it's still so true today. Visiting a police station is an exercise in humiliation.

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