Sing to the Western Wind

by Tariq Mehmood

A suicide bombing is being planned in Manchester, and Saleem Khan, an atheist, is carrying the bag

In 1960s Bradford, having left his lover, his job as a teacher and his home in rural Pakistan, Saleem finds the north of England crackling with racism, and a job working in a mill on an all-Asian night-shift. And when the mills close down, he finds himself listlessly driving a taxi.

Two decades later, a return to Pakistan leads Saleem down a dangerous path. Drawn into the turmoil of war, he meets Gulzarina, the woman whose life in a conflict without end finally allows him to make sense of his own actions.

Moving, tense and thought-provoking, Tariq Mehmood explores the decisions and happenstances that determine a life within the malestom of our times, and what makes an unlikely fanatic.

Genres: Fiction

304 pages, Paperback

Published June 24, 2025

Reviews

[endrju]

While I can see why it was published by Verso, I did not find the prose appealing. The parts I found quite interesting were the unionization of racialized labor, the critique of Western imperialism, the depiction of the workings of systemic racism and xenophobia, and the critique of patriarchy and religious dogmatism. As a novel, however, it did not work for me, with its straightforward narrative and rather simplistic approach to characterization.

[Brendan B]

I have mixed feelings about this novel.

My initial reaction was lukewarm, a response to prose that I found brusque, dialogue that felt awkward, and non-linear plot points that felt cumbersome to navigate.

Having taken a step back from the book for a few days, I now appreciate it more than I did initially. The writing was less terse than stark, a tone consistent with the harrowing political violence and brooding pathos of the novel. It evoked the ever-lingering threat of Western cruelty - a cruelty that foreseeably prompts the characters' desire to take matters into their own hands.

Overall, an interesting read that, while strenuous and difficult to get through, tackles imperialism, racism, xenophobia, and the destabilizing violence they engender.

[Anja Simic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story but uninspired writing.

The positive of reading this book is that I felt prompted to learn more about Pakistan. The themes and realities of South Asian immigrants in the west I was already quite familiar with, and felt that this book didn't bring a lot of new perspectives to the table. Still, it could be educational for some, and relatable to others.

The choice of making the main character be an atheist who wants to commit a suicide bomb attack was refreshing. It really helps the readers realize that it is not necessarily a religion that makes someone take extreme action, but the extreme circumstances they've been forced to live through.

The dialogues I found to be very awkward, and I was missing more in-depth descriptions of the interpersonal relationships.

[Bücherbummlerblog · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Sing to the western wind
The song it understands…”

70-year-old Saleem Khan wanders the streets of Manchester, a suicide bomb strapped to his body. As he walks towards his death, he reflects on his life. His childhood and youth in Pakistan, where he became a teacher. His emigration to England, where he turned into “just another Paki”, doing underpaid nightshifts. His return to Pakistan, his loves, his losses, all he has seen, all he has done. And all he did not do. Everything that led up to this moment, where he not only wants to end his life, but also take others down with him.

“Sing to the Western Wind” by Tariq Mehmood is not an easy read. To some extent, because of its partly brutal and horrifying plot, of course, but also due to Mehmood's style of writing. Since English isn’t my mother tongue, it is hard for me to judge, but his use of the English language seems to me like what is often referred to as “better than a native speaker”, meaning the use of uncommon words and structures. This might be the reason why I didn't get into a reading flow, but felt more like driving on a very bumpy road. Additionally, I found the dialogues to be somewhat strange and awkward at times. Maybe Mehmood kept very close to a literal translation from Pothowari (if I am not mistaken, and that’s what the people in this part of Pakistan speak … Side note: a glossary would have been nice), or he was just stressing how much they had their wires crossed. Still, at times I had the impression that somebody forgot to check for coherence.

Another thing I noticed is that I didn’t like any of the characters. Not a single one! Well, maybe apart from cousin Habib. I also missed a deeper insight. I had the impression that we didn’t get much from the inner perspectives, something I would have thought vital for the subject at hand. But I really appreciated that Saleem Khan was portrayed as an atheist, and his decision wasn’t just explained away with religious fanaticism. The reader has to ask himself what it would do to him if he had to face the same circumstances. And yet, we only get explanations worth discussing, no excuses, no acquittal.


All in all, “Sing to the Western Wind” wasn’t a novel I couldn’t put down. Quite the opposite, at times I had to persuade myself to keep on reading. But with a bit of distance, I notice now that I value it much more in retrospect than I thought I would. All the issues I had with it fit perfectly. Those feelings of dissatisfaction and crudeness are completely in tune with the incidents. This is a novel that will stay with you for a long time. A story that gives no easy answers, but broadens the mind. A book that should be read.

[Ayisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book made me highly uncomfortable as a Pakistani immigrant to the West myself. It was so depressing. There were truths, and hard truths, conveyed through what the main character, Saleem, experienced as an immigrant in England (racism at work) and back in Pakistan (political catastrophes, from Partition to Bangladesh’s independence to the US’ invocation of jihad). All of these events I’ve heard about throughout my life from parents and relatives, so all that remained for me in reading about them was sadness. I recently watched a Gabor Mate interview where he explained that while one’s past traumas affect one’s present (tyranny of the past), they mustn’t necessarily affect one’s future. Knowing and reflecting on one’s past trauma is vital not for excusing one’s actions, but rather for taking responsibility for one’s actions by knowing and then overcoming the tendencies and shortcomings that come from trauma. The future is in our hands.

There was no sense of hope from anywhere in this book, and that made it feel pathetic and almost unreal. I felt like Saleem and most of the people he associated with were all the (pessimistic) sort I’d want to avoid. Your world is what you make of it, and Saleem was never able to own up to that (epitomized through Aisha), even when others around him eg cousin Habib showed him how he could.

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautifully written and compelling story of Saleem Khan, who leaves his village in Pakistan, where he’s been teaching at a local boys’ school, to work in Britain. Initially working under poor conditions and low pay in factories, he gradually adapts to life there and the opportunities it offers. His wages pay off his debt to the handlers who flew him to Britain and arranged his initial job and accommodation, and then support his extended family back in his village. In a sense, he sacrifices himself for the well-being of his family. His life in Britain creates complications, particularly on his return to Pakistan.

I loved the writing, which transported me into Salem Khan’s life. Ultimately, it's a sad story that deftly conveys the futility that underlies the lives of the poor, used and abused by those with power, struggling to do the best they can by those who depend upon them.

[Hamood Qureshi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really engaging story rife with drama. Vulgar read. Enjoyed the characters, especially Gulzarina, and is a pretty unique perspective on US global affairs in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

[Lara Caradimitropoulo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sing to the Western Wind details the history and life of Saleem Khan torn between two places, England and Pakistan. The blurb of this book seemed fascinating, but the execution was too haphazard.

Saleem Khan’s own narration is unconvincing. Told from the first-person perspective, the emotion and confusion within the character is not present. I never felt bad for Saleem, because he never seemed to feel bad for himself. The way the character was written was flat, and made the emotional journey of the story disappear. The build up to the suicide-bombing in the book description is not explored within the emotional trajectory of the character and just seems like a thoughtless and low-key problematic(?) plot choice.

The structure could have also used some help; split into two parts titled “Abroadi” and “Gulzarina”, the story needed more breaks. Also the second part barely mentions the titular character Gulzarina. There are a lot of strong raw ideas and themes present, but they deserved more development in order to be compelling.

[Cyrus Pourmoslemi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I appreciated the themes of xenophobia, racism, and imperialism. The pace of the book picked up very quickly in the middle, it seemed like a new character was introduced every two pages.

[Sameeul Haque · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found the plot very interesting, but could have been written better

[Ahmad · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a fantastic read—both relatable and heartfelt. A beautifully written piece that resonates long after the last page (I am writing this years after reading).