Welcome to Litsy!

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.

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 😢

Another easy bookmark choice for my current read! Loving the creation of time and place so far in this one 👍🏼

"Books, Inspector... Samina's addiction!"

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?

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

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.

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!

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