One of Karnatakas leading progressive writers. New Age Islam 'Exploring the lives of those often on the periphery of society, these vivid stories hold immense emotional and moral weight' -- The International Booker Prize 2025 Judges Recognition by a wider audience for this major literary voice is long overdue. * Vogue India * Mushtaq makes her English-language debut with this virtuosic collection . . . The stories are united by a keen eye for the interplay between their characters social circumstances and inner lives, as religious authority and economic class exert their influence. Its an excellent introduction to an author of rare talent. * Publishers Weekly, starred review * This selection of Mushtaqs stories about Muslim girls and women in southern India, translated by Deepa Bhasthi, is a finalist for this years International Booker Prize. Mushtaq is a journalist, lawyer and womens rights activist, and these fictional stories span more than 30 years of her career as an author. * Washington Post * These twelve stories, selected by her translator Deepa Bhasthi, offer affecting portraits of family and community. Specifically, they illuminate the lives of Muslim and Dalit women and children in southern India . . . Mushtaqs compassion and dark humour give texture to her stories. These deceptively simple tales decry the subjugation of women while celebrating their resilience. Bhasthis nuanced translation retains several Kannada, Urdu and Arabic words, eloquently conveying the languages enduring tradition of oral storytelling. -- Lucy Popescu * Financial Times * Longlisted for the 2025 International Booker, this excellent collection of short stories by the writer, activist, and lawyer Banu Mushtaq depicts the ordinary lives of women and girls in Muslim communities in southern India. Particular highlights for me included the opening story to the collection, Stone Slabs for Shaista Mahal, exploring the disposable nature of wifedom under patriarchy, and A Decision of the Heart, in which a man decides to marry off his widowed mother. Deepa Bhasthis translators note, in which she delves into the process of translating from the Kannada language, offers some interesting insights into how language structures everyday relationships, too. -- Rhian Sasseen * Phrase Books *
