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The Pilgrims
As a divorced Mehar returns to the Old City of Lahore after being away from the place for seven years, a series of events start to unravel. Feroze finds inexplicable relief in his father's death and tries to make up for lost time. Bina is haunted by the ghosts of the past as an estranged relationship comes back after a decade. Aariz comes back to Pakistan after having left the place for good reason and is unsure about what awaits him.
As the stories of these people unfurl, influencing and affecting each other's, the strings of history and belonging swaddle around them. Deeply embedded in the local context, the lives of the characters embroil in a battle with the unseen. The old monuments of Lahore become a bitter reference point for Mehar. Aariz's mind plays him to unveil the secret of existence, drawing parallels from as far as the creation of man. The burden of a feudal legacy becomes brawny for Feroze, while Bina's unattainable love is connected to the history of the birth of her country. Friendships start to tumble , relationships are challenged by judgement.
The stories of four characters become a kaleidoscope of the region. The dispute of Kashmir, Babri Masjid riots, discourse on minority rights, Sufi ideals, the shadows of colonialism religious beliefs and folk legends, all conspire to design the journeys, the "pilgrimages", of the characters.
As the stories of these people unfurl, influencing and affecting each other's, the strings of history and belonging swaddle around them. Deeply embedded in the local context, the lives of the characters embroil in a battle with the unseen. The old monuments of Lahore become a bitter reference point for Mehar. Aariz's mind plays him to unveil the secret of existence, drawing parallels from as far as the creation of man. The burden of a feudal legacy becomes brawny for Feroze, while Bina's unattainable love is connected to the history of the birth of her country. Friendships start to tumble , relationships are challenged by judgement.
The stories of four characters become a kaleidoscope of the region. The dispute of Kashmir, Babri Masjid riots, discourse on minority rights, Sufi ideals, the shadows of colonialism religious beliefs and folk legends, all conspire to design the journeys, the "pilgrimages", of the characters.
- GenresPakistan
240 pages, Paperback
Published July 22, 2024
5 people are currently reading
59 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 25, 2024
One of the most refreshing contemporary fiction I read from Pakistan.
This book touches on so many things, from dealing with trauma, mental health, DV, even Societal, political and religious concerns and Norms but the way they are flawlessly blended into the situations as well as the personalities of the characters is what makes it brilliant and not overwhelming.
The Pilgrims is about the emotional and mental evolution of the four main characters. How they dealt with their own challenges that life threw at them as well as their complex relationship with each other. The ending may shock some, may upset a few but what I appreciated was how it is left to us, the readers, to interpret what happened or what can happen ( if we let our imagination stray, for fun sake).
One other thing I loved was how Asif plugged in, where relevant, cultural and historical facts about Pakistan. This is something I always appreciate and rarely come across so was delighted.
Writing style was good balance of poetic and easy reading. That's how it should be.
Must read, however it's full of melancholy and bittersweet tragic moments do tread carefully.
Also, expect the unexpected.
This book touches on so many things, from dealing with trauma, mental health, DV, even Societal, political and religious concerns and Norms but the way they are flawlessly blended into the situations as well as the personalities of the characters is what makes it brilliant and not overwhelming.
The Pilgrims is about the emotional and mental evolution of the four main characters. How they dealt with their own challenges that life threw at them as well as their complex relationship with each other. The ending may shock some, may upset a few but what I appreciated was how it is left to us, the readers, to interpret what happened or what can happen ( if we let our imagination stray, for fun sake).
One other thing I loved was how Asif plugged in, where relevant, cultural and historical facts about Pakistan. This is something I always appreciate and rarely come across so was delighted.
Writing style was good balance of poetic and easy reading. That's how it should be.
Must read, however it's full of melancholy and bittersweet tragic moments do tread carefully.
Also, expect the unexpected.
July 28, 2025
Asif Nawaz’s The Pilgrims is not merely a story—it is a map of memory, myth, and meaning. At its core, it follows four distinct lives—Bina, Feroze, Aariz, and Mehar—intertwined by friendship and fractured by time, politics, and personal convictions.
But beyond this scaffolding of narrative lies a literary pilgrimage through the histories, hauntings, and hopes of Pakistan.
Nawaz deftly moves between the intimate and the epic. Each character’s journey—Bina’s fierce activism, Feroze’s inheritance of a tainted legacy, Mehar’s rise from trauma, Aariz’s philosophical spirals—is grounded in place and politics.
Their stories unfold not just in Lahore’s crumbling facades and Sindh’s feudal mansions, but in the unresolved echoes of Partition, the Kashmir conflict, forced conversions, and the shadows of lost secularism.
The political is personal, and Nawaz’s characters are never spared the consequences.
What elevates The Pilgrims is its ambitious intertextuality. Through Aariz’s mind alone, the reader journeys from Greek mythology to Sufi metaphysics.
Nawaz’s historical and mythological references—woven seamlessly into the narrative—serve as both backdrop and bridge, inviting readers to locate themselves in these layered pilgrimages.
Yet, the book remains accessible. Its prose is fluid and evocative, occasionally pausing for pages of reflection before diving back into character-driven drama. The ending, while unexpectedly poignant, refuses easy closure—mirroring life itself.
The Pilgrims is rooted, richly Pakistani, unafraid to confront class, religion, and history with nuance and candor.
The Pilgrims is a genre-defying, thought-provoking debut. It rewards the thoughtful reader, and for those who enjoy their fiction soaked in context and conscience, it is an unmissable journey.
But beyond this scaffolding of narrative lies a literary pilgrimage through the histories, hauntings, and hopes of Pakistan.
Nawaz deftly moves between the intimate and the epic. Each character’s journey—Bina’s fierce activism, Feroze’s inheritance of a tainted legacy, Mehar’s rise from trauma, Aariz’s philosophical spirals—is grounded in place and politics.
Their stories unfold not just in Lahore’s crumbling facades and Sindh’s feudal mansions, but in the unresolved echoes of Partition, the Kashmir conflict, forced conversions, and the shadows of lost secularism.
The political is personal, and Nawaz’s characters are never spared the consequences.
What elevates The Pilgrims is its ambitious intertextuality. Through Aariz’s mind alone, the reader journeys from Greek mythology to Sufi metaphysics.
Nawaz’s historical and mythological references—woven seamlessly into the narrative—serve as both backdrop and bridge, inviting readers to locate themselves in these layered pilgrimages.
Yet, the book remains accessible. Its prose is fluid and evocative, occasionally pausing for pages of reflection before diving back into character-driven drama. The ending, while unexpectedly poignant, refuses easy closure—mirroring life itself.
The Pilgrims is rooted, richly Pakistani, unafraid to confront class, religion, and history with nuance and candor.
The Pilgrims is a genre-defying, thought-provoking debut. It rewards the thoughtful reader, and for those who enjoy their fiction soaked in context and conscience, it is an unmissable journey.
June 3, 2025
The story of four people, foreshadowing social differences, ethnicity and religion.
With all the fore-mentioned differences, how their destiny threads are entangled.” Cosmos works in a peculiar ways”, the framework of the novel, and it’s beatific how Asif Nawaz joins the thread of familiarity with the universe. Chapter thirteen made me read every paragraph again and again and still it wasn’t enough.
Chapter fourteen left me in awe. The labyrinth of the cosmos is entangled. The writer just proves this in a marvelous way. How exceptionally Asif has harmonized the tale of the past.
The rise and fall of events.
With questions which leave you to ponder over them, and you have to reckon them in another possible way.
The purgatory of four characters, from the streets of Androon Lahore to the land of Sukhar. To the four characters, I wish the world was a little kinder to you.
But the survival of the characters in the hands of the past, recollections and the secrets of how they met their end is really convincing.
The past tormented them, they were still there.
The cosmos really works in peculiar ways.
The book leaves me with my perception, and it makes me read it again, as a good book never reveals its secrets at once.
With all the fore-mentioned differences, how their destiny threads are entangled.” Cosmos works in a peculiar ways”, the framework of the novel, and it’s beatific how Asif Nawaz joins the thread of familiarity with the universe. Chapter thirteen made me read every paragraph again and again and still it wasn’t enough.
Chapter fourteen left me in awe. The labyrinth of the cosmos is entangled. The writer just proves this in a marvelous way. How exceptionally Asif has harmonized the tale of the past.
The rise and fall of events.
With questions which leave you to ponder over them, and you have to reckon them in another possible way.
The purgatory of four characters, from the streets of Androon Lahore to the land of Sukhar. To the four characters, I wish the world was a little kinder to you.
But the survival of the characters in the hands of the past, recollections and the secrets of how they met their end is really convincing.
The past tormented them, they were still there.
The cosmos really works in peculiar ways.
The book leaves me with my perception, and it makes me read it again, as a good book never reveals its secrets at once.
April 26, 2025
I'm ruined forever by this book. I don't even have it in me to write a longer review. I need at least two more reads before I can fully grasp the genius that is this book.
April 28, 2025
Absolutely one of the finest debut novels that I have read. The way the story builds up and culminates in the revelation about Aariz by Meher is simply breathtaking. I'm still in awe of the ending and how skillfully the truth was unveiled—it has left a lasting impact.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews