WINNER OF THE WRITERS' GUILD OF GREAT BRITAIN BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARD
SHORTLISTED FOR THE GORDON BOWKER VOLCANO AND MCKITTERICK PRIZES
'A stunning debut novel'
Kamila Shamsie
'An impressive, gripping debut'
The Times
'Rich and deeply moving . . . marvellous'
Yaa Gyasi
Pakistan, 1968. As riots erupt in the streets of Lahore, Inspector Faraz Ali returns to his birthplace, the red-light district in the walled inner city. Wrested from it as a child by his powerful father to be raised by a respectable family, Faraz has hidden his roots ever since. Now his father has sent him back: to cover up the murder of a young courtesan.
It should be a simple task, but for once Faraz finds himself unable to obey orders - nor can he resist searching for the mother and sister he left behind. Chasing after answers that risk shattering his precariously constructed existence, Faraz is unaware that his sister also faces a return to the old city, and to the life she
thought she had escaped.
'A gripping read that does not let you go, even after the end'
Maaza Mengiste
' Stunning . . . fully human, fully engaged with what makes us human'
New York Times Book Review
Autorentext
Aamina Ahmad
Klappentext
'Stunning, not only on account of the author's talent, of which there is clearly plenty, but also in its humanity' New York Times Book Review
'A gripping read - everything beautifully evoked, from the alleys of the Old City to the atmosphere of corruption and secrets.' Kamila Shamsie
A spellbinding debut set in Pakistan during the anarchic late '60s - a multi-layered tale of family, identity and the politics of power in a caste-ridden society.
As riots erupt on the streets of Lahore, Inspector Faraz returns to his birthplace, the red-light district in the ancient walled city where women still pass on the profession of courtesan to their daughters. Plucked from it as a small boy by his influential father, Faraz has kept his roots well hidden. Now his father has sent him back: to cover up the murder of a young prostitute.
It should be a simple task in the marginalised community, but Faraz finds himself unable to obey orders or to resist searching for the mother and sister he left behind. Chasing down the walled city's labyrinthine alleys for answers that risk shattering his carefully constructed existence, he is unaware that his sister faces having to return too, and to a life she thought she had escaped.
As riveting as it is thought-provoking, as profoundly intimate as it is wide in scope, The Return of Faraz Ali poses a timeless question: whom do we choose to protect, and at what price?