Broken Verses

BY THE ACCLAIMED WINNER OF THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION

When I can bear no more of separation, when I have learnt all that absence can teach me of desire, the walls will shimmer and I will step out of the mirage, into your arms.

Fourteen years after the disappearance of her fearless, beautiful mother, Samina, Aasmaani clings onto the dream of her return, refusing to believe she is dead.

Now grown up and living in the bustling chaos and rich culture of modern-day Karachi, she receives longed-for proof that her mother is still alive, and the seed of her hope germinates.

In her search for the truth of what really happened all those years ago, an unexpected romance will flower and the questions that have plagued her for years will be answered.

Broken Verses is a deeply moving account of love, loss and motherhood, asking us to reconcile all that we believe about our families.

About the Author

Kamila Shamsie is the author of six novels: In the City by the Sea (shortlisted for the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize); Salt and Saffron; Kartography (also shortlisted for the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize); Broken Verses; Burnt Shadows (shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction) and A God in Every Stone, which was shortlisted for the Baileys Prize, the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction and the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature. Home Fire was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2017, shortlisted for the Costa Best Novel Award, and won the Women's Prize for Fiction 2018. Three of her novels have received awards from Pakistan's Academy of Letters. Kamila Shamsie is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and was named a Granta Best of Young British Novelist in 2013. She grew up in Karachi and now lives in London.