Small Scale Sinners: Stories

by Mahreen Sohail

A scintillating debut story collection examining a fundamental question: What does it mean to be good?
In twelve kaleidoscopic stories, Mahreen Sohail shifts our perspective on this question from moment to moment. Two girls observe a group of child soldiers and one reflects: “My sister and I were only small scale sinners.” A chorus of sixth graders unravels a school year they spend obsessed with their twin classmates. A girl cuts off her beautiful long hair for her boyfriend’s dying mother, but he immediately wishes she hadn’t. Alternate, parallel lives are considered. With startling observations and economy of language, Sohail dives ever deeper into the question, asking how—in the midst of grief or betrayal, against a backdrop of war, or even just workaday suffering—being good matters. Small Scale Sinners announces the arrival of an extraordinary talent.

Genres: Short Stories, Pakistan, Fiction

136 pages, Paperback

Published September 16, 2025

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic collection of stories about the lives of Pakistani girls and women.

Often living in the shadow of another person—an elderly parent, a sick parent, a strict parent, a sister, a husband—these women rebel in acts that vary in their severity. Some sins are small, but the consequences are harsh—a teenage girl sneaks out with a boy and is thrown out of her home, a girl leaves her sister behind to attend college in America and her sister soon gets in a serious accident. Other sins are large, unforgivable, but they go unpunished—two sisters kidnap a young girl and hand her over to become a child soldier, school girls stab a school official and pass the blame off on two orphan girls.

In other stories, the women imagine the ways in which their lives would be different if they weren’t duty bound to their aging or sick parents. On the flip side, we see the pain and challenge of forging a path of your own, of leaving behind everything and everyone who have shaped you.

Sohail plays with form throughout the collection, making each story feel fresh while still maintaining thematic cohesion throughout. Cutting out all that is extraneous, her writing is clear and direct.

I thought this was great and I hope to see others give it a go! I will certainly keep an eye out for future releases from Sohail.

[Hafsa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of short stories had me in a viselike grip from the very first story and it did not release me until I finished the entire collection.

Mahreen’s power of expression is unique: it feels effortless and yet so flawless. At no point did I feel like I was reading a story that had been cut and snip to fit into my plate or suit my palate. It felt raw yet finished.

The story “Hair” caught me by surprise… I flipped the page and I went from smiling softly while I appreciating the story to suddenly staring at the words weeping silently. No book has moved me to spontaneously burst into tears for as long as I can remember, so this certainly left an impression.

Girlhood, motherhood, sisterhood. I will revisit these stories every time I feel that those concepts or relationships are too complex for me to digest.

[Aloke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Original and surreal

[Clara · Rating 5 out of 5]

So spectacular! Everything I could ever want from a short story collection

[victoria marie]

Longlisted for the 2026 RofC US/Canada Prize

*

Tomorrow, I will fly back to where I live, and over the course of our lives, the endings will arrive for us again and again, and each time, demand to be welcomed with open arms. Nobody has taught me that living a life that is entirely your own is also an act of mourning. (49)

[4+ stars. such amazing, powerful, & haunting stories.]

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

These twelve stories are linked by the relationship between mothers and daughters. They mostly follow bold young women testing the limits of their surroundings and of their own lives. Friends, men, marriage, children, tradition, and a touch of religion naturally weave their way through these narratives. The girls are all sinners, often in small, ambiguous ways – though at times their transgressions are anything but minor. One story explores the importance of hair for a woman, and even more so for the men who look at her. Another tells of closely intertwined sisters struggling to claim the right to live their own lives. There is also an almost magical tale of revenge taken against a brutal man. I appreciated all twelve of these short stories. There is something daring about these young women, trapped by their age and circumstances, yet striving to break free. I look forward to reading more from this author.

https://redheadwithabrain.ch/index.ph...

[Eowyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 6.5/10

Collection of Pakistan and Pakistan American stories with themes of motherhood and sisterhood. Honestly not bad just felt like a mediocre read at times because the words felt flat.

[Divya Dhulipala · Rating 5 out of 5]

every single one of them was brilliant

[Kinga Katrine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh the beautiful way this was written and the words flew and ahhhh maybe a gorgeous last book of the year 😭 (nah trying for 2 more before new years??)

[martine^-^ · Rating 5 out of 5]

i enjoyed myself

[Maheen Nadeem · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded up: conceptually, this was interesting, but the writing felt flat

[Irene · Rating 5 out of 5]

luminous

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

An incredibly interesting compilation of thought provoking and haunting stories...thank you to Shakespeare & Co for introducing me to this book! It will stick in my mind for some time.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book constantly made me anxious but I think that was the point

[Violet Pandya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the kind of short story collection that sticks with readers for a long time. The cohesiveness and diversity of the collection creates a really unique mix that blew me away. The writing was impeccable, and I especially liked how the style changed depending on the narrator of the story. I think it’s obvious a collection like this is one-of-a-kind when even just one of these stories would have a huge impact on the reader. I loved this collection!