Status Updates From Midnight Doorways: Fables f...

i liked this one too

this one kept me hooked

the conversation around muslim vs christian was interesting but the powers thing felt like shirk

short story 2: 2/5

first book 3.5/5

“Kick that mad boy out. This is crazy, how can you allow this, how can any father allow this?” Father gave her a look. “One who knows his daughter is gone.” And he turned and went into the workroom to collect his valuables.

woah. the pause i PAUSED

Dead Lovers on Each Blade, Hung: I found this more confusing than anything.

The Fortune of Sparrows: Another gripping and haunting short story that's so resonant. I can say, myself, that cats have a connection to the unseen and unknown.

Resurrection points: This was actually good. The gothic and supernatural elements were relevant to the Pakistani context and seamlessly integrated; and comments on the treatment of Christian communities.

The Wandering City: I can see what the author is trying to critique but it feels shallow. Perhaps if it were a longer story it can properly explore it's themes.

It's always so painfully obvious when something is written by an overseas Pakistani and this collection is no exception. The first short story "Ishq" has that signature impulse to step out of the story and overexplain cultural heritage and overly curate descriptions of henna. However, I did not hate this story. There were elements of gothic and supernatural that I really liked which fit in a Pakistani setting

nevermind, all men are cheaters..

“Let me take her home with me,” Hashim begged them. “I will take her home over my shoulders. My shack is big enough for two. It doesn't mind the dead.” :(

“You are all I ever see,” he whispered to her as he daubed drops of henna on her palms, chanting the verse from Bulleh Shah again and again. “Everywhere I turn I see you.” He sat at the head of the charpoy, rubbing kalonji oil into her eyebrows and hair until her scalp shone, and watched the rain stream through the window. :'(

“Their dread becomes wish: they yearn for what they fear.”  — Dante Alighieri,