With page-turning plots, relatable characters and relevance to the region, MOJEH selects eight new book releases for your shelf
Their Borders, Our World: Building New Solidarities With Palestine
Edited by Mahdi Sabbagh
In a climate where taking a political stance can have its repercussions, and where mainstream media biases have become all too apparent in coverage of the Israel-Palestine war, taking the side of the oppressed has never been more complicated. Compiled by the co-curator of the annual Palestinian Festival of Literature, this anthology of essays centralises the theme of Palestinian resistance against settler colonialism and poses critical questions about how we showcase our solidarity. Released 4 June 2024 Shop now
The Big Day
by Aliya Ali-Afzal
After receiving much acclaim for her debut novel Would I Lie To You, Aliya Ali-Afzal is back with a new book, this time centred on a mother-daughter relationship, which becomes strained when they each have a different vision for Noor’s wedding. Noor previously had no interest in marriage, but then falls in love with Dan, and hopes to host a low-key, intimate wedding. This contrasts starkly with her mother’s elaborate plans for the festivities, and as the two clash over the upcoming nuptials, they risk the stability of their relationship — and the wedding itself. Released 6 June 2024 Shop now
Tehrangeles
by Porochista Khakpour
Set in Los Angeles, this fictional story follows the lives of the Iranian-American multimillionaire Milani family and their four daughters — an aspiring model, an influencer, an overachiever and a health fanatic — who are on the brink of landing their own reality television show. Though it might sound like the glamorous opportunity of a lifetime, the new spotlight means that deep secrets and dysfunctional family relationships threaten to come to the fore. Released 11 June 2024 Shop now
Broken Threads: My Family From Empire To Independence
by Mishal Husain
Having only ever heard fragmented bits and snippets of stories from the 1947 divide that changed the Indian subcontinent forever, journalist Mishal Husain discovers a fragment of an old sari, sending her on a journey back through time as she traces the roots of her family from the tumultuous period of partition between India and Pakistan. Through letters, diaries and audio tapes, she rewrites a history brimming with love, loss and liberation, focusing on four figures — her grandparents — whose lives were shaped by the British Raj and subsequent independence of India. Released 6 June 2024 Shop now
The House Sitter
by Mira V Shah
A gripping thriller filled with tension and sharp twists, this mystery opens with the protagonist waking up next to a dead body in a hotel, with no memory of how she got there. When she is offered the opportunity to house-sit a picturesque villa in Italy, she jumps at the chance to escape all the uncertainty, only to realise that the home is connected to the body she woke up with, and that she was selected to come to this house by no mere coincidence. Released 20 June 2024 Shop now
The Lion Women of Tehran
by Marjan Kamali
A tale of privilege, popularity and coming of age against the political backdrop of 1950s Iran, Marjan Kamali’s latest novel spans three transformative decades of Tehran, anchored in the friendship of Ellie and Homa. Ellie comes from a bourgeois family that is demoted to a downtown district after her father’s death. She befriends Homa, but is then snapped back to her previous life, away from Homa and her family’s simplicity. The two reunite years later, each in pursuit of their own goals, but one huge betrayal risks both of their futures. Released 2 July 2024 Shop now
The Lucky Ones
by Zara Chowdhary
A stirring memoir examining the rising levels of Islamophobia in India, Zara Chowdhary’s debut book is rooted in the 2002 train fire that killed a group of Hindu right-wing volunteers in Ahmedabad, fuelling anti-Muslim sentiment and Hindu nationalism, and kicking off a dangerous mob mentality. Zara, instead of taking her school exams, was put under a three-month siege as her family sought refuge from the violence increasing in their neighbourhood, further incited by chief minister Narendra Modi — who, a decade later, became India’s prime minister. Releases 16 July 2024 Pre-order Now
Silken Gazelles
by Johka Alharthi
Author and professor at Sultan Qaboos University in Muscat, Jokha Alharthi was the first Arabic-language winner of the Booker International Prize. Her latest novel explores love and loss, and is set in a mountainside village of Oman where best friends Asiya and Ghazaala find their lives upended when a tragedy forces Asiya into exile. Marriage takes Ghazaala down a different life path in Muscat, where she works hard to balance her university life with the requirements of being a wife, until Asiya’s story converges once again with her own. Releases 15 August 2024 Pre-order Now
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- Words by Hafsa Lodi
