South Asian Book Club

Intrigue and subterfuge combine with bad luck and good in this darkly comic debut about love, betrayal, tyranny, family, and a conspiracy trying its damnedest to happen.

Ali Shigri, Pakistan Air Force pilot and Silent Drill Commander of the Fury Squadron, is on a mission to avenge his father's suspicious death, which the government calls a suicide. Ali's target is none other than General Zia ul-Haq, dictator of Pakistan. Enlisting a rag-tag group of conspirators, including his cologne-bathed roommate, a hash-smoking American lieutenant, and a mango-besotted crow, Ali sets his elaborate plan in motion. There's only one problem: the line of would-be Zia assassins is longer than he could have possibly known.

Mohammed Hanif is a Pakistani writer and journalist. He was born at Okara. He was graduated from Pakistan Air Force Academy as a pilot officer but subsequently left to pursue a career in journalism. He initially worked for Newsline, The Washington Post and India Today. In 1996, he moved to London to work for the BBC. Later, he became the head of the BBC's Urdu service in London.

In a near-future Kolkata beset by flooding and famine, Ma, her two-year-old daughter, and her elderly father are just days from leaving the collapsing city behind to join Ma’s husband in Ann Arbor, Michigan. After procuring long-awaited visas from the consulate, they pack their bags for the flight to America. But in the morning they awaken to discover that Ma’s purse, containing their treasured immigration documents, has been stolen.

Set over the course of one week, A Guardian and a Thief tells two the story of Ma’s frantic search for the thief while keeping hunger at bay during a worsening food shortage; and the story of Boomba, the thief, whose desperation to care for his family drives him to commit a series of escalating crimes whose consequences he cannot fathom. With stunning control and command, Megha Majumdar paints a kaleidoscopic portrait of two families, each operating from a place of ferocious love and undefeated hope, each discovering how far they will go to secure their children’s future as they stave off encroaching catastrophe.

For Pride month we will be reading A Marriage of a Thousand Lies by S.J. Sindu.

In her poignant debut novel, *Marriage of a Thousand Lies*, SJ Sindu intricately weaves a tale of identity and deception within the Sri Lankan-American and LGBTQ communities. Lucky and her husband Krishna maintain a facade of marital harmony to appease their traditional families, all while engaging in secret affairs. Though this arrangement seems to work for Lucky—who fills her life with dance, art, and the thrill of independence—her carefully constructed world shifts when she returns to her childhood home to care for her injured grandmother. There, she reconnects with Nisha, her first love, who is on the brink of an arranged marriage with a stranger. As their bond reignites, Lucky faces the challenge of convincing Nisha to escape her own entrapment while grappling with her own life's complexities. *Marriage of a Thousand Lies* is a vivid exploration of the intersections of race, sexuality, and cultural expectation, delivering a heartfelt narrative about love, truth, and the sacrifices one must make to embrace authenticity.