No Funeral for Nazia - by Taha Kehar (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A witty and theatrical South Asian mystery novel set over the course of one single electrifying night, exploring the unfinished business death leaves in its wake.

Nazia Sami is a celebrated author, but perhaps her greatest plot twist is yet to be produced. In her final days, she wields a pen one last time as she fills her diary with instructions for her sister and writes six letters to be delivered after her death.

There is to be no funeral for Nazia. Instead, only six invitees are invited to a party, one of whom is a mystery guest. Over the course of an extraordinary evening, secrets are revealed, pasts reconsidered, and lives are forever changed.

Review Quotes

"a riveting domestic novel in which every life story contains more facets than individuals can understand."--Foreword Reviews

"a beautifully controlled blend of wit, compassion and cultural hypocrisy that shines a revealing light on how death can change the lives of those left behind"--Daily Mail

"speaks to the fickle nature of human beings, emphasizing mental health concerns and the need for closure in relationships"--Asian Review of Books

"a layered, piecing-together of a woman through the perspectives of those who loved - and hated- her."--The New Arab

"There aren't many writers who can manage what Kehar delivers here. He has a fantastic grip on his prose to produce something so prolific and enticing. Entertaining and engaging, No Funeral for Nazia delivers what it promises."--Safinah Danish Elahi, author of The Idle Stance of the Tippler Pigeon

About the Author

Taha Kehar is a novelist, journalist and literary critic. He has served as the head of The Express Tribune's Peshawar city pages and bi-monthly books page, and worked as an assistant editor on the op-ed desk at The News. His essays, reviews and commentaries have been published in The News on Sunday, The Hindu and South Asia magazines, and his short fiction has appeared in the Delhi-based quarterly The Equator Line, the biannual journal Pakistani Literature, and the anthology, I'll Find My Way (OUP). Taha graduated from SOAS in London with a Law degree and is based in Karachi, where he teaches undergraduate media courses.