Welcome to Litsy!

Deeply moving account of three orphaned sisters who are brought by their uncle from Pakistan to America and kept in a separate house, sometimes with randomly selected tenants, so that he can obtain childcare benefits and otherwise neglect them. They struggle to survive together, with differing feelings about their cultural and religious identities, but life takes them in different directions as they grow older.

What no one will ever understand is that the world belongs to orphans. Everything becomes our mother. We are mothered by everything because we know how to look for the mothering. Because we know a mother might leave us, and we‘ll need another mother to step in and take its place. The tree mothering its shade. The restaurant door, slightly open, mothering its smell of cookies to us. A blinking walk sign, holding on to mother us across the street.

#Bookspin
1. Saving Time
2. The covenant of water
3. The covenant of water
4. Thank You Mr Nixon
5. Thank You Mr Nixon
6. In My Own Moccasins
7. An Immense World
8. Fresh water for flowers
9. H is for Hawk
10. Saving Time
11. H is for Hawk
12. Swimming in the Dark
13. Afraid of the Sky
14. Afraid of the Sky
15. The Bandit Queens
16. Big Men Fear Me
17. How Much of These Hills
18. Some People Need Killing
19. Greenwood
20. Swimming in the Dark

This was a random pick from the library. Three Pakistani sisters living in America, orphaned after both their parents pass away. They live in a dire situation with their uncle who has adopted them. Their pain and need for belonging creates a distance between them as they get older. It was very beautifully written.. full of poetry and prose. Really loved it.

I wanted to love this book but the interesting format ( a cross between poetry and Mad Libs) left me with a mostly detached feeling. It was also very sad with no moments of happiness which was another reason I never warmed to the story. It‘s a so-so for me but others have really enjoyed so maybe give it a try if you‘re curious. The cover art is STUNNING 🤩 Thank you dear @BarbaraBB for gifting me this one 😘It‘s my #DoubleSpin @TheAromaofBooks

I‘m currently reading this book, and I have read enough to say this prestigious prize is richly deserved! 👏👏🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️

This novel of three orphaned sisters did not work for me. It has been nominated and shortlisted for a couple of awards (Carol Sheilds and Aspen Words.). I wonder if listening to the novel rather than physically reading it hurt my connection with the novel. I had trouble distinguishing the sisters. 2.5 🌟

I enjoyed the story and unique perspective of the novel. This book wasn‘t written traditionally, but it helped bring the story of the three sisters to life. 4/5

A novel about orphans that focuses on their grief. Kausar and her sisters have lost their mother to illness, their father to murder. Now Uncle has taken them in but he really leaves them alone most of the time. Kausar‘s sorrow and anger run through the story and her life. https://cannonballread.com/2023/03/when-we-were-sisters-a-novel-elcicco/

Incredible, honest book. Manages to be kind and tender even as it hurts so openly.

Have Kleenex handy. This is part of #TimeMagazinesTop100ReadsOf2022 and I totally understand why this was on that list. This story touches on what it means to be orphaned and left to struggle with identity, religion, sexuality and what it means to be America when you‘re half Pakistani. #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

This pretty much sums up my reading for the first week of 2023. I bailed on my first book and I probably only finished the tagged one because it‘s my #doublebookspin and just to vent I‘ve been battling a head cold all week. Things are looking up though with The Violin Conspiracy. I should finish today and I‘m enjoying it. Might be my favorite so far on the #ToBshort list. Im also listening to Dopesick which is interesting too.

Thank you @erank58 for my #JolabokaflodSwap gifts! The books looks amazing and I love Hersheys! Thanks so much! @MaleficentBookDragon

^^ p 95 orphans finding maternal care in the WORLD— “What no one will ever understand is that the world belongs to orphans, everything becomes our mother.”

P 65 “She laughs and it paints the room.”

P 25 “Us three, a band of adventurers—making our own rules, deciding what it‘s gonna be.”

Really loved this. Capturing a convincing child‘s voice is so difficult, and Asghar does it so well in Kausar—the vulnerability, the ferocity, the need for care and the pull of independence. Youngest of three orphaned Muslim American girls taken in by a neglectful uncle, ultimately end up raising themselves. Gorgeous observations in lyrical prose. Found family. Bunk beds. Coming of age. Cultural & sexual identity. Survival. “Make it last.” 2022

When three Pakistani-American sisters are orphaned, their lives are thrown into disarray. An uncle is assigned as their guardian but “neglectful” doesn‘t come close to describing it. We mainly hear the voice of the youngest sister as the three support each other as they grow up. This is really good—I hope it gets more widely read.

This is a heartbreaking story of three orphaned American sisters taken in by a greedy uncle. Told in a lyrical style (the author is a published poet), it is beautifully written, but not always easy to follow. We follow the life of the youngest to adulthood and although it has been described as a coming of age story, I felt the character had still not found themselves at the story's end. I enjoyed it, but prefer clear prose to poetry. 3.5/5