Meeting writers on the page since 1996

Showcase

Ambreen and Uzma Hameed

“When H asked me to dance, I was unwilling at first. For the last few years – in fact, dating back precisely to the time of my Loss – it was as though my physical self had coldly withdrawn cooperation, and an ice-like rigidity would creep into my limbs if called upon to dance. All the ecstasy-and-acid-driven raves of the last ten years had done nothing to thaw the cold war declared on me by my own body.”

From ‘Undying’ – included in the showcase

“It is 1998 and the leader of the free world is under fire after an affair with a young intern. Meanwhile, in a corner of South London, the Malik sisters – biologist Sufya and dramatist Zarina – have also committed a sin: they are in their thirties and still not married. Now the unexpected return of their childhood playmate, Heathrow – named for the Terminal 3 concourse on which he was discovered as an abandoned toddler – spells the chance of a happy ending: but only for one of them. And this time, younger sister Zarina is determined she won’t be second in line to Sufya, even if it means resorting to dubious occult practices. But as tensions rise across the Muslim world, sibling rivalry and Sufi spells are not the only forces with which the three lovers must contend.” From the Introduction