We hear what we want to hear.

We see what we want to see.

We remember what we want to remember.

Often, we hear from others’ ears.

We see through others’ eyes.

We remember what others want us to remember.

But the truth can be different.

This story is a Muslim family drama with a touch of comedy and romance. The main character, Haniya is a happy-go-lucky and impetuous girl. What happens when people start to tag her as such?
This is a light-hearted, breezy short novel, that focuses on general prejudice and judgmental behaviour towards people based on preconceived notions.

Excerpts

Moonis’s car entered the porch. On the lawn, Hanya was standing on one leg, hopping and moving in a circle, like a whirling kid. She was not alone. Parveen’s sons were watching her perform the stunt with amusement. Then, she lost her balance.

 “Ahhh… Aaaah… Aaaaah… Allah…”

She fell sideways, her right elbow crushed into the ground. The kids giggled, spontaneously and aloud. Moonis chuckled, too. You can hardly suppress the spontaneous laughter when you see someone fall. He went inside, peeked in the kitchen and spotted Fayeza.

“Go and check on Haniya. She has hurt herself,” he said and went upstairs to his room.

Fayeza went out on the lawn without uttering a single word. The announcement ‘Haniya has hurt herself’ was a regular one. They heard it at least once a week. How long would they empathize? How long would they worry?

Details