In Spite of Oceans: Migrant Voices

by Huma Qureshi

In Spite of Migrant Voices explores the individual journeys of generations in transition from the South Asian subcontinent to England. Poignantly written, and based on real events and interviews, what emerges is the story of lives between cultures, of families reconciling customs and traditions away from their ancestral roots, and of the tensions this necessarily creates. We hear from the young bride from Bangladesh, married to a stranger, who comes to England to navigate life with a man she cannot love; from an Indian father who struggles to come to terms with his son's mental illness and hides it from people he knows; about how a mother and daughter's relationship was shattered in the clash over the Pakistani traditions her daughter chooses not to follow. Each narrative describes a journey that is both literal and deeply emotional, exploring the hold an inherited culture can have on the decisions and choices we make. At times heart-breaking, at times inspirational, In Spite of Oceans brings to life the pull of the past and the push of the future, and the evolving nature of what we understand as home.

Genres: Fiction

194 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 15, 2014

About the author

I started my career on The Observer and The Guardian and worked as a reporter and features writer across consumer news, news and the life and style sections before going freelance to write my first book, In Spite of Oceans, published in 2014 by The History Press. In Spite of Oceans received the John C. Laurence Award from The Authors’ Foundation.

In 2021, I saw two books published: How We Met: A Memoir of Love and Other Misadventures (January, 2021), with Elliott & Thompson, and my debut short story collection, Things We Do Not Tell The People We Love (November 2021), with Sceptre. Sceptre will also be publishing my debut novel, which I am currently writing. My essay, By Instinct, appears in The Best Most Awful Job: Twenty Writers Talk Honestly About Motherhood (2019).

I am represented by Laurie Robertson at Peters, Fraser + Dunlop.

Reviews

[Katrine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartwarming, heartbreaking rolled into one

This book made me laugh, this book made me cry, this book made me realize I never want to be 15 again, this book made me want to meet the people in the stories. Not to get to know them, because I feel like I already do, but to thank them for sharing their stories and maybe laugh and cry some together.

[Carlos Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short stories about people dreams, expectations, frustrations, loneliness, courage, hard-working, secrets and lies, love and death. Simple writing, precise and beautiful.

[Harriet · Rating 5 out of 5]

So beautifully written. Incredibly engaging variety of real life accounts and insights.

[Steph La · Rating 5 out of 5]

The world is a better place because Huma Qureshi is in it

[Misbah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Short stories based off testimony from their protagonists.

I'm not too keen on this style of relaying testimony. You can't tell how much of it is the writer's voice as it has been creatively remade. Because of this, I'm not sure how much the writer was impinging her own experiences onto the narratives of other people.

Some of the stories are better than others - some feel entirely unreliable and dishonest. I was expecting less creative licence to be taken.

[Trudy Haak · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unexpected delight for a book I picked up at Porto’s railway station!

[Tara Byamba · Rating 5 out of 5]

nearly cried

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short stories of immigrants and their experiences of here and there

[Andrew John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marvellous stories

Well written, thoughtful pieces that open a perspective of the world and life that is very much relevant today.
Made me want to learn to cook properly, speak other languages, and read classic novels.
Hats off to Huma for her wonderful work!