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Maryam & Son
A LITERARY NOVEL ABOUT MOTHERHOOD AND DESIRE, TOLD THROUGH THE COMPELLING PERSPECTIVE OF A MOTHER FORCED TO QUESTION EVERYTHING SHE BELIEVES ABOUT HER CHILD AND HERSELF.
Maryam Ali, a school chef and widow, finds her son’s bed empty one morning. At her sisters’ insistence, she reports him missing, hoping the police will find him, bring him home. Instead, government officials arrive with news that Dil might be far from London and involved in something unthinkable. As the days pass and the waiting becomes intolerable, Maryam retreats into the past, seeking answers for the present. She finds herself unexpectedly drawn to Julian, the young family liaison officer assigned to her case—a dangerous attraction that forces her to navigate between desire and the knowledge that he represents the very forces that have her son in their sights. As bombs fall on Mosul, Maryam must confront the ultimate question: how does a mother grieve a child who may have done terrible things?
A deeply humane, moving, and provocative novel of motherhood, family, desire, and the limits of knowing those we love most.
Maryam Ali, a school chef and widow, finds her son’s bed empty one morning. At her sisters’ insistence, she reports him missing, hoping the police will find him, bring him home. Instead, government officials arrive with news that Dil might be far from London and involved in something unthinkable. As the days pass and the waiting becomes intolerable, Maryam retreats into the past, seeking answers for the present. She finds herself unexpectedly drawn to Julian, the young family liaison officer assigned to her case—a dangerous attraction that forces her to navigate between desire and the knowledge that he represents the very forces that have her son in their sights. As bombs fall on Mosul, Maryam must confront the ultimate question: how does a mother grieve a child who may have done terrible things?
A deeply humane, moving, and provocative novel of motherhood, family, desire, and the limits of knowing those we love most.
264 pages, Hardcover
Published January 26, 2026
About the author
Mirza Waheed
10 books204 followersMirza Waheed was born and brought up in Kashmir. He is a novelist and essayist. His debut novel, The Collaborator, was an international bestseller and a finalist for the Guardian First Book Award and the Shakti Bhatt Prize, and was longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize. It has recently been adapted for film. His second novel, The Book of Gold Leaves (2014), was shortlisted for the DSC Prize and longlisted for the Folio Prize. His third novel, Tell Her Everything, won the Hindu Literary Prize in 2019. His new novel, Maryam & Son, will be published in 2026.
Waheed has written for The Guardian, Granta, Guernica, The New York Times, and the BBC, among others.
Waheed has written for The Guardian, Granta, Guernica, The New York Times, and the BBC, among others.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 20, 2026
"...that grief is not a state of mind, it is not something you do or don't, nor something that fades away with time, but that it's a living, breathing thing that resides within you, somewhere behind your eyelids. You close your eyes and you feel the shadow of the lost one flit across. It's best to let it live there and make peace with it. Carry it with you."
If I have to tell you about this book, I'd say this book is GRIEF.
Maryam is a widow, a school chef and most importantly she's a muslim immigrant, who lives in London with her son Dilawar.
The story begins when her son goes missing and she reports it to the police. In the turbulent times like the present we know what it means to report missing a young muslim immigrant boy. But this book isn't about what and why the boy chose the path he did but it's about the families he left behind.
The author has beautifully crafted the plot which revolves around the mother who grieves her son but also at the same time she doesn't know whether she should grieve and if she should then how?
The book majorly revolves around the stages of grief one goes through: the apprehension, the guilt of could haves and would have, the self reflection if they could have been more present, the wait, the denial, the helplessness and finally the loneliness when life hits the rock bottom and the ground has been taken away from under their feet.
The book is chaotic, messy and you'll wonder why this woman (Maryam) is overreacting, why she's overwhelmed all the time, why she is hesitant to let the police in, in her home. But it also raises the question if it is easy for a simple regular person to randomly acknowledge the fact that their child is involved in the territorist activities causing the deaths of innocent people?
It's also about the woman who's an individual, who's lonely and finds some solace with the person (Julian - liaison officer) who treats her better than the others but ain't that yet another illusion?
I liked the book because it's messy & complicated and I believe that's the essence of it, when situations like these occur, you don't expect life to play out in a straight line.
If I have to tell you about this book, I'd say this book is GRIEF.
Maryam is a widow, a school chef and most importantly she's a muslim immigrant, who lives in London with her son Dilawar.
The story begins when her son goes missing and she reports it to the police. In the turbulent times like the present we know what it means to report missing a young muslim immigrant boy. But this book isn't about what and why the boy chose the path he did but it's about the families he left behind.
The author has beautifully crafted the plot which revolves around the mother who grieves her son but also at the same time she doesn't know whether she should grieve and if she should then how?
The book majorly revolves around the stages of grief one goes through: the apprehension, the guilt of could haves and would have, the self reflection if they could have been more present, the wait, the denial, the helplessness and finally the loneliness when life hits the rock bottom and the ground has been taken away from under their feet.
The book is chaotic, messy and you'll wonder why this woman (Maryam) is overreacting, why she's overwhelmed all the time, why she is hesitant to let the police in, in her home. But it also raises the question if it is easy for a simple regular person to randomly acknowledge the fact that their child is involved in the territorist activities causing the deaths of innocent people?
It's also about the woman who's an individual, who's lonely and finds some solace with the person (Julian - liaison officer) who treats her better than the others but ain't that yet another illusion?
I liked the book because it's messy & complicated and I believe that's the essence of it, when situations like these occur, you don't expect life to play out in a straight line.
May 20, 2026
The way the narrative kept repeating the same thing for the 3/4th of the book, looping around in a vicious cycle, it ended well, and when you think about what Maryam would be going through at the end, it somehow manages to make you feel devastated.
February 4, 2026
captivating, keeps you hooked, emotional journey of a mother.... a must read
March 5, 2026
A powerful, timely story. Mirza Waheed perfectly captures the isolation of a family caught between a son’s disappearance and the world's judgment.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews