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About
In a collection of linked tales filled with irony, humor, and magic, Talking with Boys introduces an unforgettable cast of characters in the Pakistani diaspora in Houston navigating crises of their own making and beyond their control.
Via generations and geographies, the stories expand from Houston into tales from the characters' pasts in Dubai and Lahore. A community of Pakistani immigrants distract ICE with unlikely bait. A housekeeper in a Dubai mansion plots to liberate her fellow indentured workers. In Lahore, an empty nester finds herself bound by more than a jinxed bracelet. Throughout, Tayyba Kanwal' s remarkable characters navigate economic upheavals, political turmoil, and personal betrayals to pursue love, plot for survival, and play subtle power games to triumph against patriarchal forces of all genders.
Via generations and geographies, the stories expand from Houston into tales from the characters' pasts in Dubai and Lahore. A community of Pakistani immigrants distract ICE with unlikely bait. A housekeeper in a Dubai mansion plots to liberate her fellow indentured workers. In Lahore, an empty nester finds herself bound by more than a jinxed bracelet. Throughout, Tayyba Kanwal' s remarkable characters navigate economic upheavals, political turmoil, and personal betrayals to pursue love, plot for survival, and play subtle power games to triumph against patriarchal forces of all genders.
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Reviews
"Talking with Boys is an astonishing story collection that spans decades and is set in various locales, including Houston, Lahore, and Dubai. With deep insight and humor, Tayyba Kanwal explores the diverse range of the Pakistani and Pakistani American experience, as well as the complexities of a Muslim identity. Readers are introduced to a big cast of rich and memorable characters, many of whom are navigating new beginnings and places. Whether writing about family dynamics, generational conflicts, immigration, socioeconomic class, and notions of home and belonging, among other themes, Kanwal's stories speak to the human condition with breathtaking power. A remarkable debut."
Ghassan Zeineddine, author of Dearborn
"Talking with Boys is a magical and riveting collection that will make you reassess what you know about the three very different worlds in which the stories are set. Kanwal's agile, multifaceted characters are at once hilarious and heartbreaking. They'll shock you and infuriate you and amaze you. They'll linger in your imagination long after you've turned the last page."
Chitra Divakaruni, American Book Award-winning author of Independence and Mistress of Spic
"An intimate collection of stories, Talking with Boys spans time and place while depicting a group of souls who are determined, hilarious, and complex. Kanwal knows this world better than anyone, which is why the collection is consistently full of provocation and delight. This book is the introduction of an exciting new literary voice that readers will be sure to enjoy."
Maurice Carlos Ruffin, author of The American Daughters
Extended Details
- SeriesImmigrant Writers