First published 1991
Shabanu lives as a nomad in Pakistan's Cholistan Desert with her family, tending camels and moving with the seasons. She and her older sister Phulan are promised to marry two brothers when they reach marrying age. This arrangement has shaped Shabanu's entire future, but she struggles against the restrictions it will bring to her independent spirit. When violence erupts and her original betrothed dies, Shabanu's family faces a terrible choice. To settle a dangerous feud, they promise her instead to Rahim, a wealthy older landowner who already has wives. Shabanu must now confront a fate far worse than her original arranged marriage. She faces losing not just her freedom but her identity as a desert child. The decision tears at her family and forces Shabanu to choose between rebellion and survival. Her struggle reflects the broader tensions between tradition and individual desire, between family loyalty and personal dreams. In the harsh beauty of the desert, Shabanu must find a way to preserve something of herself while navigating forces much larger than any one girl.
Genres: historical-fiction, adventure, coming-of-age, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: arranged-marriage, rebellion, survival
Setting: Cholistan Desert, Pakistan
Period: 20th-century
Paperback · Walker Books Ltd