First published 2020
Karim studies film while his professors demand he make Arab cinema that matches his heritage. Maya works irregular hours at a job that offers no security. They live together, count their money carefully, and love each other. Then Maya discovers she's pregnant. Karim hasn't finished his degree yet. Maya can't even quit smoking, much less prepare for motherhood. She thinks about her family and their expectations. He pushes back against tutors who want to box in his creative vision. The pregnancy forces both of them to confront what they want from life and from each other. Their relationship becomes a testing ground for dreams that don't align with practical realities. Kandasamy tells their story through fragments and footnotes, creating a mosaic that reflects how love crosses cultural boundaries while money troubles and family pressures create very real constraints.
Genres: romance, literary-fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Arab, Arab Cinema
Period: 21st-century
112 pages · Hardcover · Atlantic Books