A little too jumpy but I suggest everyone preserve as it was such a wonderful book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for a review.

DNF at 27%. Very sorry, I just didn’t click with this one at all. I think possibly it was the switching of perspectives and time that led to my disconnect. Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to review an arc.

this was okay, but read a little juvenile and i didn't feel connected to the characters or what happens to them at all. i can see other reader enjoying this a lot tho!

— thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the free digital ARC.

This is the story of an accident and its impact of the lives of everyone involved in it. It is also the story of emotional trauma and how it affects coming of age. More than this, it's a story of what it means to deal with emotional trauma in contemporary Pakistan, especially as a woman, and particularly as a poor woman. It is also the story of Pakistan and its women more broadly - the good and the bad, the awe-inspiring and the terrible. More than anything, it is a story of two children who lose their friend and never truly recover from it.

This is, without doubt, one of the best books I read in a long time. Naturally, for me at least, the novelty of setting the plot in Pakistan, the exploration of the role of women in society there, and the debate about how much emotional trauma is allowed to be even considered in that environment, is noteworthy. This is not why I found this book so touching, familiar, and engulfing.

It could have easily been written by Turgenev, Chekhov, or Leskov. The delicate exploration of families, their traumas, and their growth is the central theme. It is done with finesse and sensitivity, creating a lasting impression of loss and grief. While there are parts to the story that have joy in them, it is essentially a tragedy - and it's remarkably realistic, as such.

I fell in love with every single character in the book, and cried over all their fates. The author's choice to tell the story through the perspectives of each character is indeed disarming, and takes away any animosity one might feel towards any one of them. All the characters are tragic in their own ways.

Perhaps what was most emotive for me was the relationship between Zohaib and his baba. This is what Zohaib says at one point:"I think of the many things Baba taught me. I think of the many things he could have taught me. He taught me how to fly a kite, how to convert currency rates from American dollars to Pakistani rupees to pound sterling. He taught me how to do business, how to buy at a lower rate and sell at a higher price, and to never tell trade secrets to anyone. He taught me how to deliver a perfect bouncer in cricket and what a tiebreaker was in tennis. He taught me how to climb a tree and get the best fruit. What he didn't teach me was how to love a woman or how to ask for help when I needed it. He never taught me how to communicate my feelings, how to shave my beard, how not to be disappointed when I fail a test or tank an interview. He never taught me how to keep believing when the entire world falls apart, and he never taught me how to forgive others and myself".

I cannot recommend this experience enough. I think everyone should read this - fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, and children. There is something for everyone here, and I am incredibly grateful for the chance to have read this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Zohaib - brother to Misha, his storyline starts in England in the now.
Misha his sister in … pakistan, a young girl about 8. Lives in a very fancy house with servants, her brother and her bff Nono/Nadia.
Nadia - Pakistan - in the now, working in an office, married to a good for nothing.

Now is 17 years later than Misha’s storyline.
The book alternates narrators, the three mentioned above and a few of the tertiary characters. It took me a bit to see how all the stories fit together. The book is short and packs so much of a punch. The storytelling is incredibly vivid and each narrator has a unique syntax.
Every chapter ends on a small or big cliffhanger which makes you think, ok just one more chapter.
The writing is really beautiful and speaks to class issues, racism, how poorly servants are treated and several other really interesting and sometimes difficult topics. The ending felt a smidge abrupt, but overall I though the book was very good.