With delicately drawn characters, Shahnaz Bashir tells the
heartbreaking story of one woman’s battle for life, dignity and
justice.’
– Mirza Waheed, author of The Collaborator
‘The night is tired now,
the old moon, hanging in the dark sky,
is tired too’
It is the 1990s, and Kashmir’s long war has begun to claim its first
victims. Among them are Ghulam Rasool Joo, Haleema’s father, and
her teenage son Imran, who is picked up by the authorities only to
disappear into the void of Kashmir’s missing people.
The Half Mother is the story of Haleema – a mother and a
daughter yesterday, a ‘half mother’ and an orphan today; tormented
by not knowing whether Imran is dead or alive, torn apart by her
own lonely existence. While she battles for answers and seeks out
torture camps, jails and morgues for any signs of Imran, Kashmir
burns in a war that will haunt it for years to come.
Heart-wrenching, deeply troubling and written in lyrical prose, The
Half Mother marks the debut of a bold new voice from Kashmir.'