Lina never wanted children and her husband Ishaan agreed, but now there are two lines on the test. As a resident of Dubai her options are limited. Lina's mother died in childbirth and she's just scattered her beloved father's ashes. A judge might yet throw out the will and give everything to his closest male relative instead. Ishaan bends further under the will of his family every day. When Lina receives proof of a horrifying family secret from Mumbai, she realises that she has a choice when it comes to her baby, her marriage and her place in the world - but is it a choice she is brave enough to make? Piercingly astute about the compromises we make to belong, and an acerbically funny exploration of Dubai's Indian diaspora, Shape of an Apostrophe explores what it means to live as a resident but never a citizen, a daughter-in-law but no longer a daughter and a spouse but perhaps not a partner.