"Under the Tamarind Tree" opens in present day Karachi, Pakistan in 2019. Rozeena is living out her older years tending the garden in her home, when she receives a call from an old friend, one she hasn't talked to in many years, asking her for a favor. Haaris' granddaughter Zara is trying to be a Maali and as an informal "internship", he asks that Rozeena let her help out with her gardens for the summer. Haltingly, Rozeena agrees, especially after learning that Zara has recently lost her brother in a car accident, recalling the loss of her own brother decades earlier.

The novel jumps between 2019 to 1964, when Rozeena and Haaris are younger and friends with Zohair and Aalaya, who live in the same building and have developed feelings for each other. We learn of the recent partition between India and Pakistan, and how each of them have been impacted by the massive geopolitical change. Each of these friends live in vastly different circumstances as well, and Nigar Alam slowly sets up the differing classes and castes in Karachi at the time, and how limiting the interactions can be, especially for women. As the story continues, more and more is revealed about the past and how it affected the present - including the strained and distant relationship between Rozeena and Haaris.

I thoroughly enjoyed Alam's writing throughout the novel, and how she slowly and patiently built up her characters and their backstories. The friendship that grew between Rozeena and Zara felt genuine, and the dialogue flowed naturally. As someone who didn't have much background into the events of the Partition, there was enough context provided to give readers an understanding of the event and the repercussions for civilians in the years to follow. While I personally found that there were too many flips between the past and present, I was still able to follow along with the storyline and events, despite the number of characters that are introduced.

A beautifully woven story about the sacrifices we make for our loved ones, and the repercussions those decisions can have decades later.

“under the taramind tree” is a masterpiece. nigar alam has written a wonderful debut novel that takes place in both pakistan in the early days after the trauma of partition as well as present day 2019. rozeena loses her brother during partition, and her family never quite recovers. she makes a promise to treat a young girl, aayla, like her sister. as rozeena grows up and starts working as a doctor, aayla seems to be hanging around the wrong kind of men. something particularly cruel happened that made haaris leave pakistan for america, and rozeena laments over it for most of her life. in 2019, haaris’s granddaughter zara has just lost her brother to a car accident and is sent off to karachi to be rozeena’s maali. they tend the garden and zara starts asking questions, curious about what truly happened during partition and what life was like in pakistan for her grandfather. dark family secrets are revealed, but old friendships are rekindled, as the past comes to light.

full of wonderfully interesting characters with so much pain in their hearts, this debut is an emotional rollercoaster with the beautiful backdrop of karachi. alam has crafted a story that spans generations and captivates the reader at every turn. from the gardens, to the rooftops, to the little milk shops, there is much to appreciate. while it can feel a bit slow in some moments, the pacing is well done for the majority of the novel. watching the relationship between rozeena and zara bloom was absolutely heartwarming.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

This novel takes place in 2019 and during and after the Partition of India and Pakistan, following the life of Rozeena, a rare woman doctor who, facing catastrophe multiple times, moves from paralysis through indecision to courage in assisting others. While the framing story set in the present is perhaps a little too identical to the story that takes place during Partition, the primary plot, told in short flashbacks, is compelling.

Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons, for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As the summary states, this is a story of Rozeena, her friends, and what transpired during Partition. I was not that familiar with the topic so I was excited to read this. Overall, this is a beautiful and heartbreaking story of 4 friends in Pakistan after the Partition of India and Pakistan. Traveling back and forth in time with Rozeena as she reconnects with her old childhood friends was very well done and such a culturally rich and engaging experience.

I agree with some reviewers that the past vs current timelines occasionally caused some confusion in the story and with the characters for me, but not enough for me to stop reading, so I encourage you to dive into this one as its well worth it.

Highly recommend.

I tried to read it but it’s not for me. The writing style seems too young adult to me. There are so many characters mentioned with difficult names hard to keep track. I’m sorry but I can’t see finishing this

I just couldn’t get into this one but it was a very well researched novel.

Thank you NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons Publishing for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review which is not affiliated with any brand.

We’re recovering from being very sick in our house so today is just a lazy relaxing day, and I’m all for it. I hope to be able to finish the book I started yesterday and maybe start another.

Under the Tamarind Tree follows four friends who are tied together from one night, and countless secrets. Rozeena is running out of time and if her medical practice doesn’t take off she’ll lose her home. Success comes at a price though. One fateful night one, when she and three friends are together, someone ends up dead, and the life they took for granted is in shatters. Now years later, Rozeena gets a call from one of those friends, who she hasn’t heard from in about 40 years. The call leads to secrets being unearthed and those secrets might just ruin everything Rozeena has worked so hard for.

This one was a great atmospheric read that held me captive. This book highlights generational trauma and the lengths people go to protect the ones they love. I enjoyed reading about the history and culture that I am not very familiar with. The pacing of this one was a bit slow and felt that it faltered along at times. There were several times when I wondered why I was reading something because it didn’t fit with the flow of the story. The storyline was also pretty predictable, but if you can look past that and are looking to learn about this wonderful culture then pick this one up. It’s a great work of literary fiction.

This one came to me via request of the publisher, Penguin Group Putman, and I’m happy I picked it up on @netgalley. This one is out August 15th of next year.

Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons for the opportunity to read and review UNDER THE TAMARIND TREE by Nigar Alam as an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC). The story is set in Karachi and weaves the past after Partition with the present following the main character, Rozeena and the generational trauma that follows her.

The story flashes back to post-partition Karachi and a tragic event that changes Rozeena and her friends' lives forever. Rozeena struggles to keep the past behind her when Zara, a childhood friend’s family member joins her in present day Karachi. Zara, who is dealing with a recent trauma of her own, connects with Rozeena’s independent yet heartfelt demeanor and a friendship forms.

The past and present timeline weaves together ideas about memory, generational trauma, and consequences from choices through Rozeena and Zara’s heartfelt relationship. Rozeena and Zara’s relationship honors connection, the need for healing, and a bond possible between generations.

Although details weigh down the storyline at times, UNDER THE TAMARIND TREE is beautifully written with rich language. Nigar Alam’s rhythmic writing style and sensory language creates a rich experience. Nigar Alam’s UNDER THE TAMARIND TREE is a beautiful debut novel and set to be released August 15, 2023.

I enjoyed Under the Tamarind Tree. It covered some history I did not know and a culture I don't know well, with well fleshed out characters and a good story. Thank you for the opportunity to review.

Thank you to Net Galley and Putnam Books for the opportunity to read this ARC. Under the Tamarind Tree is set during and after the Partition and the complexities of starting a new life in a new place. Rozeena, Haaris, Aalya and Zohair are all navigating surviving and thriving in a new life and balancing what they want for themselves and their sense of duty to their family.

The writing was beautiful and lyrical and the themes of love and betrayal were well-done. I also thought most of the characters were well-fleshed out. I particularly loved the relationship between Aalya and Rozeena, as they both have complexities yet still cared deeply for each other. My criticisms of the book regard pacing and amount of characters. The pacing of this book was very slow, and at times I felt that it meandered on moments that felt unimportant to the overall story. I also think that it was somewhat hard to keep track of all of the characters and their relationships (a family tree might be helpful!) to each other. At times, I felt a little lost as to character motivations and how they related to each other. Overall, this is a very strong debut novel and I am excited to read more books by Nigar Alam!

Under the Tamarind Tree will be released on August 15th, 2023!

What a great book! I always try to broaden my horizons with different cultures in books because I feel I learn a lot without being bored by a history book or google page. This story was great! A little predictable but the end was so impactful!

There seems to be a surge in "partition fiction" lately. Having read a few of those the storyline felt a bit predictable at times but I found the overall experience enjoyable.

My review of UNDER THE TAMARIND TREE by Nigar Alam

This title came to me upon my request to read the ARC (Advance Reader's Copy) of it on NetGalley. I want to thank Penguin Random House for allowing me the opportunity to read this tale.

What a completely immersive tale it was too! I absolutely loved getting to know Rozeena and her family and friends! The pages of UNDER THE TAMARIND TREE were full of dark family secrets and enchanting views into Pakistani life. To travel back and forth in time with the intriguing Rozeena as she reconnects with her old childhood friends was a truly magical reading experience. I'm not ashamed to admit that I finished reading this tale in about six hours, nor that I lost sleep thinking about this literary masterpiece.

I highly recommend picking up UNDER THE TAMARIND TREE when it becomes available in 2023. You won't regret it if you love faraway places and literary magic.

My rating: ❤❤❤❤❤

Title: UNDER THE TAMARIND TREE

Author: Nigar Alam

Publisher: Penguin Random House / Putnam / G.P. Putnam's Sons

Published Date: Projected - August 15, 2023

Under the Tamarind Tree is a very thoughtful novel. Alam manages to weave together multiple different storylines and two distinct time periods to create a narrative that is part family saga, part mystery, and does so masterfully. In addition to creating a structurally sound narrative, Alam also provides necessary commentary on the lasting effects and consequences of Partition on those who lived through it and the generations after, and is able to critique the class system through the events of the story, rather than being too overt.

Overall, this book will make a great addition to Pakistani literature, providing a new point of view and insights. This is a book I would definitely be able to find a use for in my classroom!

Thank you @Netgalley for this copy of Under the Tamarind Tree. What a beautiful story that gave me so many emotions. This was such an original book and I appreciated learning more about this time and place in history. I love that I felt a different perspective that I hadn't before reading this. The jumping around of characters made it a little hard to follow at some points but not anything that made me want to stop reading. The descriptive writing was amazing and makes you feel like you are really there!

A group of friends.. a terrible tragedy.. and the promises made in the aftermath.
this was a really good book, that ending is everything, quite a punch.

Under the tamarind tree is a story of friendship and growing up in Pakistan. The burdens children of the partition carry and the impact of living lives for others. I liked the story setup and how the story moved between the past and the present. Some of status-quo in the present were explained as you read the past. It felt coherent.
I did find the story to drag on. We kept going back to something happened but there was nothing happening other than a slight build up of the drama. Great book exploring Karachi and the impacts of partition

This story had a lot of potential but was ruined (at least for me) by the constant jumping back and forth in time frames and by all the characters wandering on and off this literary stage of action. It seemed that the characters merely showed up by name without any indication as to male or female, age, or relation to another character.

It would have been helpful to have had a list of characters in the front of the book with a brief description of each. Also some sort of glossary of terms unfamiliar to non-Pakistani readers.

The whole business of Haaris’ [very sullen and rude] granddaughter doing landscaping in Rozeena’s beautifully maintained garden is absurd. The child, quite obviously, knew nothing about what she was doing and yet was given no instruction nor guidance.

Also just about the time I would be beginning to put part of the story together, here would come another reference to the BIG SECRET that tore the families (or was it “friends”) apart for 54 years. Obviously, the reader was not going to find out what that was for another 300 pages. But, I guess, the editor felt it was time for another teaser.

Sadly I had to close this book just shy of 25%. I just couldn’t make heads nor tails of it.

I appreciate having received this ARC from NetGalley and from the publisher, G. P. Putnam, in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. I extend my best wishes to the author and to its publication.

This is a sensual book—filled with smells, images and feelings across generations. It inspired one to understand the trauma of the Partition between Pakistan and India—an event I was not familiar with. It is a story of generational impact, female friendship, and the influence of decisions and the randomness of chance in one’s life. As the author states, “sometimes we believe things that aren’t true, Sometimes we misunderstand events, thinking we had some control over them. We don’t . . .” Well worth reading for understanding of the Partition and understanding of one’s own life.

Thanks to NetGalley and Putman’s for the Advanced Review Copy

Captivating family and friends drama set in beautiful Karachi set on the Arabian Sea. Gorgeously written with interwoven stories from the past and present. Lushly filled with friendship and love, betrayal and deception, and decades-old secrets and passions. A engaging saga worth reading.

Thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the opportunity to read this excellent ARC.