First published 2009
In the fading world of a Pakistani landowning family, survival means navigating impossible social hierarchies. Each story tracks a different character—from servants to socialites—whose lives intersect on the Gurmani family estate. Some scheme, some submit, some rebel, but all are trapped in a delicate ecosystem of power, desire, and desperation. As traditional structures crumble and modernity encroaches, individuals make dangerous choices that ripple through their interconnected world. These are not just stories of class and ambition, but intimate portraits of human resilience in a landscape of radical transformation. Some will rise, many will fall, but each struggles to claim a moment of dignity.
Genres: fiction, short-stories, literary-fiction, contemporary
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: interconnected-stories, social-commentary
Setting: Pakistan
247 pages · Hardcover · W. W. Norton