Book Reviews

Author: Sara Suleri
Publishing Year: 1989
Genre: Non-fiction, Memoir, Biography
Fact: The author was a professor emeritus of English at Yale University, where her fields of study and teaching included Romantic and Victorian poetry, postcolonial literature and theory, and contemporary cultural criticism. 
Recommended for everyone interested in post-colonial literature/willing to spend a lot of time and effort decoding what they are reading/doesn't mind complicated, twisted sentences that take ages to make sense. 
Author: Fatimah Asghar
Publishing Year: 2018
Genre: Poetry
Fact: The author is the writer and co-creator of the Emmy-nominated Brown Girls, a web series that highlights friendships between women of color.
Recommended for fans of poetry/feminism/history/LGBTQ issues

Title: Red Birds
Author: Mohammed Hanif
Publishing Year: 2018
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Magical Realism, Humour
Fact: The author's works are regularly compared to Joseph Heller's novels, and this book comes the closest to Heller's Catch-22.
Recommended for everyone interested in critique of American wars/Hanif's works/wants to read works in the tragicomic genre.
Author: Awais Khan
Publishing Year: 2019
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Fact: This is the author's debut novel
Recommended for people who want to read cliched plots/want to read a sub-par version of better writers/wish to waste their time.

Title: Pureland
Author: Zarrar Said
Publishing Year: 2020
Genre: Magical Realism
Fact: This book is a fictionalized narrative based on the life of Abdus Salam, a Nobel prize winning physicist who spent most of his adult life outside Pakistan due to religious reasons. 
Recommended for everyone interested in magical realism as a genre/people who want to know more about Abdus Salam through a fictional narrative/people in the mood for boring stories.
Author: Ayesha Muzaffar
Publishing Year: 2020
Genre: Horror
Fact: The author runs a successful Instagram page where she posts short horror stories. 
Recommended for everyone who wants to read some creepy desi horror short stories to share with friends or cousins during sleepovers.
Author: Bina Shah
Publishing Year: 2018
Genre: Speculative Fiction, Science Fiction, Dystopian Fiction, Feminism
Fact: This book can be considered the desi version of The Handmaid's Tale.
Recommended for people interested in dystopian fiction / those who want to engage in conversations about female agency / anyone who hasn't read desi science fiction.
Author: Mahvesh Murar and Jared Shurin (editors)
Publishing Year: 2017
Genre: Horror, Supernatural, Fantasy, Speculative Fiction
Fact: This anthology was nominated for the Locas Award for Anthology (2018), World Fantasy Award for ANthology (2018), and Shirley Jackson Award for Edited Anthology (2017)
Recommended for everyone who likes fantasy / stories about supernatural creatures / something a bit different from the usual stories about magic and mayhem.
Title: Amal Unbound
Author: Aisha Saeed
Publishing Year: 2018
Genre: Middle Grade Fiction
Fact: This book was nominated for the Vermont Golden Dome Book Award (2020), Goodreads Choice Award for Middle Grade and Children's Fiction (2018), and Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award (2021).
Recommended for people looking for something to buy for their middle grade children / fans of desi literature / readers who like female protagonists.

Author: Aisha Saeed
Publishing Year: 2015
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary Fiction
Fact: The author is one of the founding members of the We Need Diverse Books campaign.
Recommended for everyone who argues the arranged marriage vs love marriage debate / for young adult desi literature.
 
Title: The Pakistani Bride
Author: Bapsi Sidhwa
Publishing year: 1997
Genre: Historical Fiction
Fact: It is the first English novel by Pakistan's first female English author.
Recommended for everyone who is a fan of post-partition literature / desi life representation / discussing the treatment of women during the 50's and 60's in Pakistan.
Title: Cracking India (also known as Ice-Candy Man)
Author: Bapsi Sidhwa
Publishing year: 1988
Genre: Historical Fiction
Fact: It features a protagonist with a disability. Plus points for representation.
Recommended for everyone who wants to read partition literature / is unafraid of facing a little blood and gore / interested in the history of the subcontinent.
Title: Slum Child
Author: Bina Shah
Published in: 2008
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Young Adult
Fact: It is one of the few Pakistani books to feature a minority protagonist.
Recommended for everyone who is a fan of Pakistani literature / interested in depictions of religious minorities in Pakistan / looking forward to having detailed discussions about strong female characters.
Title: Burnt Shadows
Author: Kamila Shamsie
Publishing year: 2009
Genre: Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
Fact: It was nominated for the Orange Prize for Fiction Shortlist (2009) and won the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award (2010).
Recommended for everyone who is a fan of historical fiction / interested in geopolitical change and its effects on the lives of people / looking for a serious, good read.
Title: Home Fire
Author: Kamila Shamsie
Publishing year: 2017
Genre: Literary Fiction
Fact: It won the Women's Prize for Fiction (2018) as well as the John D. Criticos Prize (2017). It was also nominated for the Man Booker Prize and the Booker Prize. 
Recommended for everyone who is a fan of well-written relationships / interested in reading adaptations of Greek plays / looking for a serious, good read.
Title: Salt and Saffron
Author: Kamila Shamsie
Publishing year: 2000
Genre: Historical Fiction
Fact: This book features a character who is mute by choice.
Recommended for everyone who likes partition literature / likes Kamila Shamsie's works / likes trying to decode complex family tress.
Title: In the City by the Sea
Author: Kamila Shamsie
Publishing year: 1998
Genre: Literary fiction, Political fiction
Fact: This is Kamila Shamsie's first novel.
Recommended for those who love Karachi / want to read through the eyes of a middle grade protagonist / are Kamila Shamsie fans.
Title: Ashes, Wine and Dust
Author: Kanza Javed
Publishing year: 2015
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Young Adult
Fact: It was shortlisted for the Tibor Jones South Asia Prize.
Recommended for people who are interested in reading all the Pakistani female authors / supporting young writers / really interested in boring, moody protagonists.
Title: Torn Pages
Author: Lara Zuberi
Publishing year: 2018
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Fact: The protagonist is a writer, so most of the writing experiences mentioned are fairly autobiographical.
Recommended for everyone interested in the writing process / is a fan of the past-present flips method of storytelling.

Author: Roopa Farooki
Publishing year: 2009
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Romance
Fact: This is one of the few Pakistani novels dealing with mental health issues.
Recommended for everyone interested in protagonists with mental health problems / Asperger's / books which focus on family life.
Author: Saba Imtiaz
Publishing year: 2014
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Chick lit, Humour
Fact: This novel has been made into a movie starring Sonakshi Sinha.
Recommended for everyone who is a fan of funny books / interested in novels which use media as a setting / looking for a light, fun read.

Title: How it Happened
Author: Shazaf Fatima Haider
Publishing year: 2012
Genre: Comedy, Humour, Romance, Chick lit, Young Adult
Fact: This is one of the few Pakistani books that is centered on family life completely.
Recommended for everyone who is a fan of romantic comedies / interested in novels which focus on relationships / in the mood for a book which is very desi in its themes.
 
Title: Thinner than Skin
Author: Uzma Aslam Khan
Publishing year: 2012
Genre: Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction
Fact: It was nominated for the Man Asian Literary Prize (2012) and the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature (2014). It won the French Embassy Prize for Best Fiction at Karachi Literature Festival (2014).
Recommended only for those who are interested in vague metaphorical references / pretentious writing / the complex demographics of Pakistan's northern areas.


Title: Haveli
Author: Zeenat Mahal
Publishing year: 2013
Genre: Romance, Chick Lit, Historical Fiction
Fact: This book reads exactly like an Indian soap opera.
Recommended only for those who are interested in cheesy chick lit, cliched descriptions, and mindless entertainment.
Author: Bilal Tanweer
Publishing year: 2014
Genre: Literary Fiction
Fact: It was nominated for the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature (2015) and won the Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize (2014).
Recommended for everyone who is into reading multiple narratives, well defined characters and books about Karachi.
Title: In Other Rooms, Other Wonders
Author: Daniyal Mueenuddin
Publishing year: 2009
Genre: Short Stories. Literary Fiction Historical Fiction.
Fact: Nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (2010) and National Book Award for Fiction (2009) among other awards. Won the The Story Prize (2009), Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book in South Asia and Europe (2010) among other awards.
Recommended for everyone who is into short stories, historical fiction, and really, really pretentious writing.
Title: Something to Tell You
Author: Hanif Kureishi
Publishing year: 2008
Genre: Contemporary
Fact: A character from Kureishi's famous script My Beautiful Launderette has a guest appearance in this title.
Recommended for everyone who is into pretentious writing / texts about immigrants in UK / overly sexualized characters.
Title: Our Lady of Alice Bhatti
Author: Mohammed Hanif
Publishing year: 2011
Genre: Literary Fiction
Fact: It was nominated for the DCS Prize for South Asian Literature (2013) among other awards.
Recommended for everyone who is interested in literature about religious minorities, loves smart writing, and is looking for something witty.
Title: Exit West
Author: Mohsin Hamid
Publishing year: 2017
Genre: Magic Realism. Literary Fiction. Fantasy.
Fact: Was nominated for the Man Booker Prize (2017), National Book Crtitics Circle Award for Fiction (2017), Andrew Carnegie Medal for Fiction (2018), Kirkus Prize for Fiction (2017), Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction (2017), and more.
Recommended for everyone who loves magic realism / migration stories / prize nominees. 
Title: Between Clay and Dust
Author: Musharraf Ali Farooqi
Publishing year: 2011
Genre: Historical Fiction
Fact: It was nominated for the Man Asian Literary Prize (2012) and for the DSC South Asian Literature Longlist (2013).
Recommended for everyone who loves post-partition stories, doesn't mind really short chapters and is interested in wrestlers or courtesans.
Title: The Story of a Widow
Author: Musharraf Ali Farooqi
Publishing year: 2008
Genre: Literary Fiction
Fact: It was nominated for the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature (2011).
Recommended for everyone who loves complex female characters and doesn't mind taboo topics.

Title: The Prisoner
Author: Omar Shahid Hamid
Publishing year: 2013
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Crime Fiction, Political Fiction
Fact: It was nominated for the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature for Longlist (2015).
Recommended for everyone who wants to read a very honest account of how policemen learn to deal with a corrupt city.
Title: The Spinner's Tale
Author: Omar Shahid Hamid
Publishing year: 2015
Genre: Thriller. Mystery.
Fact: The author was wounded in the line of duty in 2010, after which he began writing.
Recommended for those who are interested in cricket / really like thrillers and mysteries / want to read a book by a policeman who understands the city of Karachi.
Title: Breath of Death
Author: Saad Shafqat
Publishing year: 2012
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Fact: This might be the only Pakistani medical mystery out there, as far as I know.
Recommended for everyone who in interested in medical mysteries / has never read a book about Pakistani doctors / wants to engage in discussions about the representation of 9/11 in Pakistani books.
Author: S. Mubashir Noor
Publishing year: 2021
Genre: Fantasy, Magical Realism, Speculative Fiction
Fact: This includes two short stories in one very short novella.
Recommended for everyone who is into weird little stories that make no sense, want something to pointlessly pass the time, and have no problems with gallows humour.
Title: The Inn
Author: Maniza Naqvi
Publishing year: 2021
Genre: Literary Fiction
Fact: This review was originally published in Books and Authors on 27 February, 2022.
Recommended for everyone who is into very slow stories / discussions about race issues / interested in nature as a plot point within a narrative.
Author: Sorayya Khan    
Publishing year: 2015
Genre: Historical Fiction
Fact: This was the first time I lost all my review notes about a book and regretted it dearly.
Recommended for people who like to discuss the concept of belonging / cities / languages in detail.
Author: Sidra F. Sheikh    
Publishing year: 2017
Genre: Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction
Fact: This is one of the few South Asian Science fiction full-length novels out there, which makes it rare for its kind. 
Recommended for people who like vaguely-defined plots / mindless entertainment / a plot that doesn't require any investment.
Author: Naseem Aslam
Publishing year: 2008
Genre: Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
Fact: This book was nominated for the Warwick Prize for Writing in 2011.
Recommended for people who are interesting in reading about war-torn regions / like complexity in their characters / don't mind violence in their stories.
Title: Earth Boy
Author: Sami Shah
Publishing year: 2017
Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Fact: This is part two of the Djinn-Son Duology. 
Recommended for everyone who is into desi mythology / really cool supernatural creatures / duologies.
Author: Kamila Shamsie
Publishing year: 2005
Genre: Literary Fiction, Mystery
Fact: This is one of Kamila Shamsie's earlier novels.
Recommended for everyone who likes reading about complex female relationships / is interested in Pakistani history / likes well-written prose.
Author: Moni Mohsin
Publishing year: 2008
Genre: Humour, Comedy, Chick-lit
Fact: This book is a compilation of articles printed in the newspaper The Friday Times as a humour column. 
Recommended for everyone who likes funny stuff / has lived in Karachi / is looking for mindless entertainment.
Author: Shandana Minhas
Publishing year: 2007
Genre: Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction, Book Club Fiction
Fact: This novel was a Commonwealth Writers' Prize Nominee.
Recommended for everyone who likes doom and gloom / has lived in Karachi / likes really slow, pointless plots.
Author: Imran Kureshi
Publishing year: 2019
Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Speculative Fiction
Fact: This novel would make a fun movie to watch.
Recommended for everyone interested in horror stories / fantasy with Mughal-era connections / subcontinental fantastical characters.
Author: Farah Naz Rishi
Publishing year: 2021
Genre: Young Adult, Romance
Fact: This novel is proof that you can write good desi young adult stories.
Recommended for everyone interested in diaspora stories / romance with desi characters / enjoyable young adult plots.
Author: Shahbano Alvi
Publishing year: 2021
Genre: Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction
Fact: The layout of this anthology is really well done.
Recommended for everyone interested in sparsely-worded stories / anthologies / subtle fiction.
Title: Home Boy
Author: H. M. Naqvi
Publishing year: 2009
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Fact: This book was a Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize Nominee in 2010 and won the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature in 2011.
Recommended for people who live in New York / like pointless characters / have passed their SATs with very high marks.
Title: I Hope You Get This Message
Author: Farah Naz Rishi
Publishing year: 2019
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Romance, Dystopian Fiction
Fact: This book includes LGBTQ Muslim representation.
Recommended for fans of Young Adult titles / people who like Muslim characters in their stories / are looking for desi LGBTQ representation.
Title: Water
Author: Bapsi Sidhwa
Publishing year: 2006
Genre: Historical Fiction 
Fact: This book was written to supplement the movie of the same name. 
Recommended for fans of stories set in the subcontinent/ people who can face uncomfortable issues / are looking for books with complex female characters.
Title: The Bargain from the Bazaar
Author: Haroon K. Ullah
Publishing year: 2014
Genre: Historical Fiction, Creative Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction 
Fact: This book is written by a former senior advisor to the U.S. Secretary of State.
Recommended for fans of dry, history-based texts / people who know nothing about Pakistan and want to learn a little bit more / those reading with a Western gaze.
Title: Ayesha At Last
Author: Uzma Jalaluddin
Publishing year: 2018
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Chick Lit
Fact: This book is an adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.
Recommended for people looking for young adult novels with Muslim representation / weak adaptations of popular classics.