This is a sprawling novel set in Pakistan, before and during the Bangladeshi uprising, and looking back to the Second World War. The central character, Faraz, is trying to work out where he fits in a complicated family history and background after being taken from his mother as a five-year-old child.

The book starts with the adult Faraz, now a police inspector, being sent to the red light district in Lahore, the Mohalla, on behalf of his father Wajid to cover up the murder of a young prostitute. However, the cover-up does not go to plan and Faraz cannot bring himself to be party to the framing of an innocent young man. His refusal precipitates a whole series of events tracking back to the Second World War when Wajid was taken prisoner in North Africa while serving with the Allies. It also leads Faraz to search for the family he was taken from in the strange enclosed community of the Kanjari Mohalla.

The book deals with some uncomfortable issues. Some of the central family characters are prostitutes and the Kanjari men are often pimps, selling their daughter’s virginity to the highest bidders and happy to prostitute their wives. Of course, this is a service which politicians and the military enjoy so Faraz is certain to uncover scandal in high places in his enquiries.

All of this takes place, in the late 1960s and 1970s when Bangladesh was breaking away from Pakistan so it is also a time of racial and religious turmoil. Often as a reader, you really do not know where you are! The sense of confusion is added to by the frequent use of the local language so there are ‘tongas’ on the street, ‘sehras’ hang from the market stalls and ‘chutiya’ is a common term of abuse, but then this is a book about being lost and not knowing who you are!

It’s a long read but rewarding in its own way. It powerfully evokes the Mohalla and the alienation of being a Pakistani in the British Army and it deals with some challenging issues as it opens up a place and a society which many people, even today, would like to keep a lid on, or quietly forget.

This is a novel which requires a lot of concentration as it is filled with rich detail and many characters. It opens in 1943 with 5 year old Faraz being chased across rooftops by unnamed men. He escapes but 6 months later they return and this time he is taken. A gripping opening. The action moves on to 1968 and Faraz is a police officer. He is sent by the police chief to the red light district in Lahore where a young woman has been killed. This brings back memories to Faraz because he was born there to a prostitute and it was from there that he was taken by his father, the police chief. Faraz soon finds himself conflicted as he tries to reconcile these parts of his life.

As I said, this requires a lot of concentration but it is worth the effort, You really feel as though you are there in 1960s Pakistan. I really enjoyed this book. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This book is mostly set in Pakistan and begins in 1943 with Faraz Ali, aged 5, escaping across rooftops in the red light district, known as the Mohalla, of Lahore when a group of men come for him. His mother urges his older sister, Rosina, to help him escape while she tries to stop the men. They don’t get him on this occasion but come back six months later when his mother invites them in for tea. Faraz was then sent with the men.

Twenty five years later Faraz is married with a young son and is an inspector in the police force. He is summoned by Wajid Sultan, chief secretary in the provincial government, who we also learn is Faraz’s father. Wajid tells Faraz that there’s been an accident in the Mohalla and he is posting him there as he wants it covered up and Faraz is the only person he trusts to do this.

It’s Faraz’s first time back in the Mohalla and he starts to get involved in the case which is the death of a young girl. It quickly becomes clear that she has been murdered and Faraz is uncomfortable about covering it up as his faker instructed. Having met the girl's mother and brother his memories of this own mother and sister resurface and he is curious about where they might be and if they are still alive. His mother was a Kanjari whose job is to entertain men. This job is passed from mother to daughter down the generations.

The later timeframe of the book is in the late 1960s when Pakistan was going through turbulent times with much unrest and eventually the separation of West and East Pakistan with the latter becoming Bangladesh. The book weaves this history into the plot, along with Wajid being an Indian soldier in WW2 and ending up in a POW camp in Libya.

The plot, characters and true history facts in this book appealed to me but I can’t say I enjoyed reading it. There were many words in Urdu and maybe other languages that I didn’t understand and couldn’t even find using the Internet. There was much repetition of a word I found quite offensive. Mostly I just found it too long and confusing. I was often having to search back for characters as I couldn’t remember who they were and having names that were unfamiliar to me exacerbated that issue. All this wasn’t helped by the fact that the ARC did not display well on my Kindle as there were numbers interspersed with the text every few words. It made reading very challenging and I spent much of the book wishing it was going quicker as I wanted to know how it ended.

When I did finally get to the end it was quite unsatisfying to me and I am left not entirely sure who murdered the young girl and why. I suspect I missed one crucial section as I was starting to skim read. I also have no idea why Faraz's mother tried to save him when the men first came but then invited them in for tea and gave her son to them six months later. This book was not for me but thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I wasnt sure I was going to enjoy this book at the very beginning, but I was totally wrong. It was thoroughly engrossing. The storyline was original, as was the setting and the characters.Focusing on the three characters who most impacted and determined the life and future of Faraz ensured a greater understanding of life in Pakistan at the time of partition and later years. It was a very emotional read.

Faraz Ali is sent by his influential father to cover up a murder in the red light district of Lahore, the area where he grew up with his now estranged mother and sister.
I’m not usually that keen on crime or plot-driven fiction but this has many more layers than that. It’s a gripping read but also a family and political saga set in 1960s Pakistan, all wonderfully depicted in beautiful, evocative prose. It explores the time of Partition and the caste system, marrying culture, history and love with power, corruption and crime. I found it rich and thought-provoking and it’s well worth reading.
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. All views are my own.

I am really in two minds about this book. I really wanted to like it - the historical elements, an interesting cultural perspective - I enjoy reading about other cultures and I know little about Pakistan or the partition experience - and an intriguing family saga set across several generations. Whats not to like?. And in parts, it lived up to my expectations. But unfortunately, it was also very slow and somewhat confusing at times. Plus, it was too long. So too often, instead of picking up the book and relishing getting stuck in to the next chapter, I found myself wondering how much more of the book I had to plough through.
The family saga element was fascinating - at times this plotting was almost Dickensian - with abandoned children, powerful benefactors, searches for family members, etc. The detective element of the plot worked less well and felt bolted in to drive other elements of the story (although the insights to the Lahore prostitution culture were eye opening). The switching across times frames and the sections on WW2, partition and the creation of Bangladesh were really enjoyable elements that did zip along and maintain interest.
Overall then, I was left rather frustrated that this was a good(ish) book that could have been an excellent one.
As a first novel, I think it bodes very well for what Aamina Ahmed might go on to write next. Because the quality of the writing is excellent throughout.
My thanks to Netgalley and to Hodder & Stoughton for providing a review copy of this book.

Thanks so much to @netgalley @aaminaahmadwrites and @hodderstoughton for the E-Arc copy of this book.

The novel follows Faraz Ali as he is positioned back in his home town (in the Mohalla in Lahore) as a way for those in higher up positions to cover up the murder of a young girl. Faraz was taken from his mother and sister by his father Wajid when he was younger, Wajid is now in a position of power in Lahore. Faraz therefore goes on a journey of discovery, of both himself, his family and his hometown.

I absolutely adored this book and haven't done it justice in my short synopsis but didn't want to give too much away ahead of publication date. This beautiful debut not only tells the story of Faraz but also of the partition of India from inside, this is particularly interesting to me as my current unit at work surrounds the partition and the long lasting effects this and the colonisation of these counties has had. I personally feel you will be seeing this book absolutely everywhere as it's so beautifully written. You slowly uncover elements of Faraz's history, some of which he doesn't know, and the reason for the inclusion of elements becomes clear later on.

Faraz Ali , a serving police officer in Lahore, finds himself called on by his father to close down an investigation into a murder. It turns out this is to settle a debt his father owed to a friend from back in the war some 30 years previously. Faraz finds himself unable to turn a blind eye to this crime and, as a result, turns over many stones that lead him to discover dark secrets about his family .
Believable and atmospheric this proved to be an enjoyable novel to read and it casts a sharp and damning light on the class/caste system that prevailed in Pakistan at the time.

When Faraz Ali's father calls upon him to discreetly investigate a murder, he expects his co-operation. After all, Faraz must be grateful to Wajid for taking him away from the streets of Mohalla where life is cheap. But he also took him away from his mother and sister.

The crime takes place in Mohalla and returning sparks memories for Faraz. Little does he know just how close his mother is when he investigates the murder of a young girl, Sonia. Unwilling to cover it up, Faraz puts his life at risk to seek the truth.

But ultimately he is powerless against the might and corruption surrounding local government headed by his father, and he is sent away.

We also learn of life for Faraz's sister Rozina. As a dancer and courtesan, Rozina had some success as a filmi star. But she is now a kept woman, her mother and daughter still living Mohalla.

Throughout the story, we flash back in time to Wajid's experiences in WWII, which explains more about why he asked his son to make the murder go away.

Overall, I found this to be a compelling story and I was gripped from the outset. Filled with family intrigue and visceral sadness, it wasn't always an easy read, but one with depth and complexity.

Unfortunately the version I was sent was not compatible with my kindle or my mobile kindle app. I have since been in touch with the publisher to inform, along with photos of the format in which it was delivered.
At this time I won’t be leaving a review, but I am very interested in reading this title when it is published. I have heard many good things, I love the synopsis and the cover is perfection in my opinion.
As always I am grateful to NetGalley for the opportunity, and am committed to being honest and open, therefore I can’t leave a review.
I am open to further contact if that is required! Thank you.

Powerful and authentic I was drawn into moral dilemmas of reverting to old history tensions among the people of new generations. A policeman musT be engaged in a kiling ..

The Return of Faraz Ali left me with mixed feelings.
The story begins with Inspector Faraz Ali being sent to his childhood neighbourhood to investigate and cover up the murder of a young prostitute. This neighbourhood or mohallah is Lahore's notorious red light district. Characters are introduced and stories unfold.
This book was a lengthy read and started very slowly. It initially left me bored and I struggled with it. It only picked up pace at the half way mark. I found there to be too many characters with lengthy backstories which I really didn't care for. The jump in timelines was often confusing and I felt that some were completely unnecessary.
On one hand, I do feel that Aamina Ahmad managed to capture the essence and atmosphere of the locations she wrote about really well - especially inner city Lahore. However, I found that there were too many irrelevant details. I would have found the book easier to read had the writing been more straight to the point.
As someone who understands Urdu and Punjabi, there were words used that made the book uncomfortable to read; but I guess that this was the author's way of stereotyping the language used by the uneducated and lower classes in the social strata.

Sadly, the copy of this that came through on my kindle was totally unreadable. I opened it yesterday to get it read in time for it's pub day but it's literally all over the place and with my dyslexia, it's too distracting trying to figure out where the sentences are supposed to start and end.

The premise of the book sounds fantastic though and it was a predicted 5 star

This is a truly wonderful debut book. It is a gripping tale set predominantly in Pakistan in the 1960s and 1970s. The novel tells the story of Faraz Ali and his struggle to ascertain his identity. There are so many themes dealt with in the novel such as corruption, family secrets, impostor syndrome, women's rights, child abuse etc. The novel confronts all these themes head on and does not do so meekly. It is a novel based on realism. Beautifully written and deeply moving.

This is an interesting mystery set in 1960s Pakistan which explores themes of family, loyalty, caste and identity. Rich in culture and a sense of place the story weaves its way through the red light district of Lahore drawing Faraz to revisit his roots. With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this digital ARC in exchange for this honest review.

This is a very well written but deeply distressing read, about power, policing, realpolitik, and the struggle for women's agency. The story takes you through the turbulent late 60s in Pakistan till the Bangladesh War in 1971, with flashbacks to a character's experiences in World War II. The author's writing is absolutely visceral about the experiences of women in the red light district of Lahore, the difficulties of breaking the cycle of poverty when one has a shortage of avenues. It's actually refreshing to read writing that does not glamorise prostitution and depict it in glowing terms as women empowering themselves and making their own choices - she does not at all disrespect the women, and the decisions they take, choosing instead to rightly lay the blame on societal structures and a lack of access to education that make it near impossible to lead a different lifestyle. There's some excellent writing where the protagonist, Faraz Ali, muses on the cliched depictions of ' prostitutes with a heart of gold' in movies( and these are ubiquitous in films of the 50s and 60s in Indian cinema as well), where their only redemption and claim to dignity is to die at the end of the movie, when it would be far more honourable if they were allowed to lead their lives without the fear of mortal danger all the time. She doesn't pull her punches in describing the horrors visited on Bangladesh before and during the war, in a harrowing segment of the book. The book doesn't end in a terribly neat resolution with everything being taken care of and the baddies all out away- that doesn't usually happen to people in power and would have taken away from the stark realism of the book. It does however, end with a modicum of hope that things will get better, and the characters get some solace.

What's the book about?

Kanjari women make up Lahore's Mohalla, or red-light district. They will pass on their trade to their daughters.

Faraz's mother was a Kanjari, but because his father belonged to a higher class, he had a different future. Faraz is now an Inspector, and he's been assigned to the Mohalla, where he's been tasked with covering up the murder of a young girl. But returning to his birthplace has reawakened childhood memories, and he decides to track down his mother and sister. During his search, he begins to question where his true loyalties lie.


My thoughts:
I was completely immersed in this book right from the get go. Although a bit heavy in places, it was still one of those books that only draws you in and keeps you engrossed. It makes you feel like you're very much a bystander observing how the story unfolds. I can't wait to read more from this extremely talented writer.

A brilliant and multi layered book that fascinated me, a fascinating work that mixes genre and talks about the life of the poorest and the emarginated during the 60s in Pakistan.
The author is a talented storyteller and was able to keep me reading.
I loved the characters and loved how this people was able to find some hope for a better life.
I hope to read other books by this author.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Comparable to Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children.
The eponymous Faraz Ali returns to the walled city, the once fabled red light district of Lahore, in his capacity of police inspector, at the behest of his father to help hush up the unfortunate death of a young prostitute. Ostensibly a murder mystery at the outset, this tale quickly develops into a far more complicated dissection of the politics – familial and national – of Partition-era India, in particular Pakistan and Bangladesh.
This touching yet unsentimental novel could justly be compared to Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children, and is a more searing and honest indictment of the emergence of nation states, and the impotence of those fated by reason of class or sex to cling precariously to the margins of life. The lives of Firdous, Faraz’s mother, his sister Rozina, and her daughter Mina, and the impossible choices they must make, are unflinchingly depicted. While there is no such thing as a happy ending in this pitiless world, there is perhaps some small glimmer of restitution with the succeeding generations (Rozina: “the most loving kind of loveless marriage she could have hoped for.”)
Although the majority of the story centres around the Mohalla and its tawaifs (courtesans similar to geisha, in that they are highly proficient dancers and singers, as well as sex workers), and their tenuous struggle for existence, even the more autonomous male characters are subject to the whims of the more powerful. Thus, Wajid, who looms so harshly in Faraz’s life, has himself been subject to the derision of white colonialists. But the women fare much worse, and their choices are far more limited, dependant on the men they can attract with their fleeting charms.
Ahmad’s rendition of characters is detailed and complex, so we also spend time starving with Wajid in a Pow camp during WWII, and even with the most reprehensible character, the child murderer Ghazi. She shows us that nothing is clear cut, and even though many of the characters feel resigned to their seemingly implacable fates, there is always a possibility of redemption.
While Midnight’s Children was a romantic and often amusing epic, certainly erudite and linguistically innovative, it shied away from more serious social discourse. Aamina Ahmad pays her subjects the respect of depicting them and the harsh realities of their lives truthfully. Her language is evocative and highly descriptive, building a wonderful picture of these troubled nations, and she uses Indian terms interchangeably with the English versions, which gives great depth to character and culture.
While this is not a light read, it is one of the closest in quality to Rushdie that I have read in years and hopefully we will hear more from this extremely talented author.

My thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book, which I received in exchange for an honest review.

Although I am less than halfway through this brilliant, atmospheric novel, I have to write and say that it is a remarkable book, self-assured and problematic, focusing on an underclass of courtesans and ne'er-do-wells in post-partition Lahore. The characters are unlikeable, but one can't look away. I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in Pakistan's history and the double-standards that operate, the vast divide between rich and poor, and the desperate lives of those, particularly women and girls, unfortunate enough to have been born into poverty in this hypocritical society.