People Want to Live, Farah Ali
People Want to Live, Farah Ali
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
Club: $9.99

People Want to Live

Author: Farah Ali

Narrator: Siiri Scott

Unabridged: 6 hr 48 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 11/30/2021


Synopsis

Set primarily in Pakistan, these award-winning stories follow people living on the brink of abandonment—in their personal relationships and their place in the world.

A mother, coping with the sudden death of her son, uncovers long buried secrets in his absence. An anguished girl grabs a chance for a life beyond the orphanage walls where she lives and discovers the price of freedom. A young couple tries to keep their fraught relationship steady as a heat wave engulfs their city. A son returns to visit his ageing parents while beset with memories of a troubled childhood. And two thieves find themselves in a situation more precarious by the minute, and more dangerous than their original mission.

Farah Ali's debut collection of thirteen stories, People Want to Live, features stories of togetherness and reckless faith in the face of a world that's built to break us. Her characters mount battle with loneliness and in their fight reveal surprising vulnerabilities and an astonishing measure of hope.

About Farah Ali

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, The Arkansas International, MQR, The Southern Review, Kenyon Review, Copper Nickel, and others.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Emily on December 20, 2022

A kaleidoscope of the misery and small victories that make up everyday life. The title is extremely appropriate, we see firsthand the struggles of those who want to live, beyond just surviving. To have more, to worry less, and to break away from the mundane routine. The prose was intimate and compel......more

Goodreads review by fatma on December 25, 2021

3.5 stars "Sometimes a new underpass or a flyover or a shiny mall distracts me and that is good, but then I see a piece of wall I often passed when I was little and I am again pulled thinly, painfully, through that narrow corridor between the past and the future, between that which we can never chang......more

Goodreads review by ☆ lydiature ☆ on September 21, 2024

3.75 ⭐️ enjoyed it. the writing style was very fresh and experimental. however , some of the stories were a little confusing and boring. but all in all, it was a good collection. definitely a lot better than most that i have read.......more

Goodreads review by Shaema on December 31, 2021

Visceral depiction of characters, they are hard to forget. I've visited Karachi myself several times and this collection seemed to evoke both familiar settings as well as inviting me to see the city with new eyes.......more