The Squatters - by Saba Brelvi (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Two families collide in this thrilling debut about motherhood, migration, and the distance between who we are and who we want to be.

How far are you willing to go to help someone in need?

Surrey is a quiet, affluent area just outside of London, replete with tree-lined streets, great schools, and friendly neighbors. But among them, Dalia Waheed has never quite felt like she belongs. Though she and her husband embody second-generation immigrant success, Dalia can't shake the sense that she is destined for something other than her carefully constructed suburban life.

While volunteering at a local nonprofit called Refugee Resettlement, Dalia meets the very pregnant Hajira and her husband, who have fled their home country to seek asylum in the U.K. In Hajira, Dalia feels a kinship she can't quite explain. So, when Hajira asks for help finding an alternative to their squalid government housing, Dalia knows she will not ignore her plea. Helping a soon-to-be mother find a place to live is the least she can do.

What begins as a simple act of kindness spirals into something far more treacherous than Dalia could have ever imagined. Suddenly, she finds herself in a political firestorm that threatens to engulf everything she holds close: friendships, community ties--even her marriage. With the pressure mounting on all sides and the situation teetering closer to real danger, Dalia is forced to confront a terrifying question: how much is she willing to risk--for her ideals, her family, and for a woman who has already lost everything?

Gripping and unflinching, The Squatters lays bare the fractures of belonging, the costs of conviction, and the tensions that simmer beneath even the most idyllic communities.

Review Quotes

"Taut and timely, The Squatters cranks up the tension on every page by asking one question, simple on its face but increasingly complex: What would you do, in Dalia's shoes? Saba Brelvi pushes her heroine to the brink of her comfort and her beliefs, and this stunning debut will challenge you, too, unfolding like a thriller as the moral dilemmas and consequences mount."--Dawnie Walton, author of The Final Revival of Opal and Nev

"The Squatters is a beautiful, timely, and necessary novel. Saba Brelvi has written a haunting story about the oft-forgotten human face of the refugee experience, the frailties and illusions of the perfect life, and the true cost of moral courage."--Patmeena Sabit, author of Good People

"This is a book about the collision of idealism and reality, about the loss of home and the communities we go on to form, and how the past can be transmuted into purpose. . . . A novel full of hope and heart."--Avni Doshi, author of Booker-finalist Burnt Sugar, shortlisted for the Booker Prize

About the Author

Saba Brelvi is a Muslim American writer from California. She holds a BA from Brown University and an MPH from Johns Hopkins University and has spent more than two decades working in the nonprofit sector. She currently resides in Abu Dhabi with her family. The Squatters is her debut novel.