It’s 1987, and 11 year old Alia Quraishi is waiting for her unreliable father to meet her for a contact visit. But Khalid never arrives, and Alia spends the rest of this gripping novel working out the complex reasons why he's disappeared.
In 1987, 11 year old Alia Quraishi is waiting at Edgeware Road tube station for her unreliable father to meet her for a contact visit. But Khalid never arrives, and Alia spends the rest of this gripping novel working out the complex reasons why.
Her investigations take her from her home in Oxford, across the world to Pakistan and Goa, in search of Khalid's family and friends, whom she hopes might help her make sense of his disappearance and subsequent death. As she does so, she grapples with her own cultural identity, and how the absence of her father has affected her. Each location is vividly drawn, and this is a novel with a strong sense of place, but even more engrossing is the skillful way the characters are brought to life.
The reader immediately supports little Alia as she waits anxiously for her father, and loses her last 10p in the phone box. Later we root for her as she digs deeper into her past. Khalid is a complex character; he's a gambler in every sense, but such care is taken in building his inner life that we understand why he makes the choices he does. More minor players are also given heart and soul, and are so sympathetically drawn. Even the politician in the novel is written with sympathy!
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this intriguing, transporting and moving story, which gave me an insight both into shady financial dealings and how the absence of a parent can be as strong an influence as their presence.
Enticing writing style that evokes London in the 80s and draws you into the characters and their journey.
I was attracted to the book by the theme of family and identity and the journey of self-discovery.
I was drawn very quickly into the book by the enticing writing style and the evocation of London in the 1980s, a period I remember well – brought alive. The highlight was the development of the characters. I did find some of the background detail a bit of a distraction, but not a significant issue. I was held by the story and wanted to get to the end.
Looking forward to Yasmin’s next book. Recommended.
This is a really strong, evocative debut novel and one which I will certainly be recommending
“Where do you find a lost father? In the mirror, in the sweep of an arched eyebrow, in the sheen of hair?”
Alia is searching for the truth about her father’s death 20 years ago. The book takes us between Alia's life as an academic in Oxford in 2003 and her father Khalid’s life as a croupier in 1980s London.
Khalid is a gambling addict working at the Playboy club but he is keen to move up to the big time. The descriptions of the 1980s in particular were so well drawn, so evocative portraying both the seedy and glamourous side of London’s clubs.
Alia has never really discussed her father and is now at a stage in life where she want to find out more about him, what exactly happened to him and more about her Pakistani heritage.
I found Alia’s relationship with her father’s family in Karachi very interesting. In many ways she was more accepted there and I would have loved to explore that further.
The book also looks at the collapse of the BCCI bank and how that was connected to Khalid via the investigations of Mark Denby a newly elected MP. Like Alia, Denby also has issues relating to an absent father.
This is a really strong debut novel and one which I will certainly be recommending.
A man's search for riches; a young woman's search for her father. What will they discover?
This is an interesting and engaging debut novel by Yasmin Cordery Khan. It is both a book about the importance of family relationships and knowing your place in those relationships; it also is an intricate puzzle.
In the 1980s, Khalid Quraishi, an immigrant from Karachi, lives in London with his wife and daughter, Alia. Their life is comfortable, with Khalid working as a croupier in London’s Playboy Club. He loves his family, but his addiction to gambling and the loss of his job lead to a breakdown in his family life. After several years, Khalid seems to be about to a move towards financial security, but seemingly mysterious and tragic circumstances put an end to this.
The timeframe of the novel moves between the 1980s and the early part of the 21st century, when Alia is a Junior Lecturer at Oxford. She does remember her father, but the last memory is of his non-appearance at Edgware Road station, where he had arranged to meet his ten-year-old daughter. Over the years, she wondered a little about her father, but then becomes determined to discover more about him, his life and the mystery surrounding his death.
The author dealt with the fluidity of the timescales very well, with various parts of the plot falling into place. Her characters were well rounded and plausible; I cared about what happened to them. Overall, I loved this book, and hope to read more by this author.