The Return of Faraz Ali

'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 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 courtesan.

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?

About the author

Aamina Ahmad was born and raised in London, where she worked for BBC Drama and other independent television companies as a script editor. Her play The Dishonoured was produced by Kali Theatre Company in 2016.

She has an MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop and is a recipient of a Stegner Fellowship from Stanford University, a Pushcart Prize and a Rona Jaffe Writers Award. Her short fiction has appeared in journals including One Story, the Southern Review and Ecotone. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Summary

'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 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 courtesan.

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?

Foreword

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.

Additional text

The Return of Faraz Ali heralds the arrival of a strikingly accomplished and mature talent. Aamina Ahmad has managed to meld fast-paced, intelligent noir with a devastating portrait of the true costs of ambition and desire. A gripping read that does not let you go, even after the end.

Report

Stunning, not only on account of the author's talent, of which there is clearly plenty, but also in its humanity, in how a book this unflinching in its depiction of class and institutional injustice can still feel so tender . . . The fullness of the characters and their intersecting lives make this far more than a murder mystery . . . Ahmad's compassion, her deep care for the psychological and emotional nuances of her characters, never wavers . . . It extends through generations and transformations of place, all the way to a devastating final chapter, fully human, fully engaged with what makes us human Omar El Akkad New York Times Book Review

Product details

• Authors: Aamina Ahmad, Ahmad Aamina
• Publisher: Sceptre
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.03.2022
• EAN: 9781529356021
• ISBN: 978-1-5293-5602-1
• No. of pages: 352
• Dimensions: 152 mm x 232 mm x 32 mm
• Subjects: Fiction > Narrative literature; Pakistan, FICTION / Crime, c 1960 to c 1970, Fiction: general and literary, c 1960 to c 1969