Author(s): Nafisa Haji

General

Fate, in the form of tragedy, has finally caught up with Saira Qader - a free-spirited and rebellious Muslim-American of Indo-Pakistani descent - who finds herself caught in a struggle between her family's traditions and her desire for independence. As she tells her own story she weaves in the tales of her family, beginning with one grandfather's scandalous infidelity, another grandfather's work in the struggle for Indian Independence, and an English teacher's quest for personal independence in newly formed Pakistan. As Saira learns more about her past, she understands what she never wanted to admit - that fate is not something she can avert with her own actions and faith is not a matter of intellectual preference.