First published 2017
Anjum once lived as Aftab before unrolling her worn Persian carpet in a city graveyard that becomes her sanctuary. Her story weaves through the crowded streets of Old Delhi and across the contested valleys of Kashmir, where conflict blurs the lines between war and peace. The narrative follows Tilo, an enigmatic woman whose past lovers remain bound to her fate, including Musa, whose connection to her transcends their romantic history. Tilo's former suitor now works as an intelligence officer in Kabul, while two children named Miss Jebeen enter the story: one buried in Srinagar's Martyrs' Graveyard, another discovered abandoned on a Delhi sidewalk at midnight. These broken characters find restoration through unexpected acts of compassion and stubborn hope. Roy braids their lives across years and geography, creating a love story that doubles as a fierce examination of contemporary India. The novel moves between whispers and shouts, following people who survive by patching themselves together after the world has torn them apart.
Genres: literary-fiction, contemporary, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, love-story
Setting: Old Delhi, Kashmir, Kabul, Srinagar, Delhi
Period: Contemporary
444 pages · Hardcover · Knopf
Content warnings: violence, war