August 1, 2022
Two Indian American teens grapple with cultural differences and the aftermath of an unplanned pregnancy in this thought-provoking novel by Khan (Zara Hossain Is Here). Eighteen-year-old Ayesha Hameed, who was born in the U.S. but raised in India, is finishing high school in the U.S. while living with her Salma Aunty and Hafeez Uncle in Bloomington, Ill. Far from her parents and feeling out of place in the predominately white town, Ayesha forms an immediate and intimate bond with Suresh, also of Indian heritage. When their relationship results in an unplanned pregnancy, Ayesha worries about jeopardizing her academic goals before eventually deciding that adoption is the right option for her. Seventeen years later, Ayesha’s daughter, Mira, raised by a kind white lesbian couple, finds a box of letters that Ayesha wrote to her while pregnant. Mira effectively assumes the narrative reins, diving deep into her birth mother’s past to unearth unexplored parts of her identity. Khan’s sincere prose, which capably flows from Ayesha’s perspective to Mira’s as each navigates her own emotionally turbulent circumstances, propels this compassionate story toward a hopeful conclusion. Ages 14–up. Agent: Hillary Jacobsen, ICM Partners.