The River, The Town: A Novel
Farah Ali
Feb 2024 · Tantor Media Inc · Narrated by Jeed Saddy
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7 hr 7 min
Unabridged
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About this audiobook
A poignant and powerful first novel following the breakup of a Pakistani family in the face of climate disaster, and their indefatigable search for stability, love, and belonging. In the rural town in Pakistan where Baadal grows up, children are named like talismans to sustain life and ward off unhappiness. At seventeen, Baadal has come to understand why his parents gave him that name, with hopes that their Big River will one day flow wide again, and their thirst will be quenched after years of drought. But in the final year of his schooling, abundance seems impossibly far away. As his parents' marriage-full of rage, despair, and often violence-reaches a breaking point, the only comfort Baadal can afford is a budding kinship with Meena, a divorced older woman he meets on the banks of the drying river. Meena has only just escaped her abusive husband, but her resistance to remarry soon gives way to the promise of stability and companionship that Baadal offers. Together, they leave the town in search of greater fortunes in the city. But even strong-willed, independent Meena finds herself bowed by the strain of Badaal's punishing work schedule, her struggling beauty parlor, and the tension with Baadal's mother, Raheela, as she seeks to leave behind a life of disappointments and discover a freedom she's never known.
About the author
Farah Ali grew up in Karachi, Pakistan, and currently lives in London. Her work has been anthologized in the 2020 Pushcart Prize and received special mention in the 2018 Pushcart anthology. Her debut story collection People Want to Live includes stories previously published in VQR, Shenandoah, Copper Nickel, and others.
Jeed Saddy is a mother of four who studied voice-over and improv in San Francisco and now resides in the Los Angeles area.
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