When the Fireflies Dance, Aisha Hassan
When the Fireflies Dance, Aisha Hassan
List: $25.99 | Sale: $18.20
Club: $12.99

When the Fireflies Dance

Author: Aisha Hassan

Narrator: Jassa Ahluwalia

Unabridged: 10 hr 48 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 12/02/2025


Synopsis

Inspired by a shocking true story, this haunting debut novel of love, brotherhood, resilience, and redemption set in Pakistan calls to mind the modern classics The Kite Runner and The Beekeeper of Aleppo.

On the outskirts of Lahore, Pakistan, a large yellow moon hung low in the sky when the men came with dogs and guns and cricket bats. In front of his family’s small hut on the edge of a looming brick kiln, Lalloo’s brother was murdered.

Unable to escape the memory of that horrible night, Lalloo’s parents and sisters remain trapped, the kiln chimney churning black smoke into the sky as the family slave, brick by brick, to pay off their debts. To rescue them, Lalloo must free himself from his past and carve out his own destiny.

About Aisha Hassan

Aisha Hassan is an award-winning writer living and working in London. A graduate of the University of Oxford’s prestigious Creative Writing Master’s programme and a Curtis Brown Creative alumna, Aisha’s play Pickled Mangoes was performed at Soho Theatre, and her poetry has appeared in Under the Radar and Campus magazines. When the Fireflies Dance is her debut novel and has been longlisted for the Bridport Novel Award and Hachette’s Mo Siewcharran Prize, and shortlisted for the London Writers Award. As a child, she lived in Lahore, Pakistan. 


Reviews

Goodreads review by Gabi on August 11, 2025

4.5 stars! i randomly picked this up in a bookstore while waiting for my train, and i'm so glad that this book and i found each other. it is truly a beautiful story filled with loss, hopefulness, heartbreak, and deep-founded characters whose love for each other is palpable on every page. my only comp......more

Goodreads review by Marit on November 11, 2025

Een roman over de vreselijke omstandigheden van opgroeien in een steenfabriek in Lahore, Pakistan. Mooi geschreven, je proeft en ruikt de kleuren, geuren en mensen en wordt helemaal ondergedompeld. Ondanks alle misère toch ook licht en hoopvol. Fijn boek!......more

Goodreads review by Michelle on September 21, 2025

This was an amazing story of brotherly love and healing from a nightmarish trauma. It has an amazing journey of recovery and family. I cried and I was there for the MMCs journey.......more

Goodreads review by Laura on August 04, 2025

Erg indrukwekkend en vol emotie geschreven.......more

Goodreads review by noelluuhh on November 05, 2025

4,5⭐......more


Quotes

"On the outskirts of Lahore, violence shatters Lalloo’s family when his brother is murdered outside their home. Narrator Jassa Ahluwalia brings empathetic intensity to this novel as Lalloo leaves his family in order to earn enough to free his parents and sisters from generations of debt bondage forcing them to work as brickmakers. Giving space to both memories and present struggles, Ahluwalia helps listeners track Lalloo’s story as it shifts between the past and present. As Ahluwalia speaks in a calm, grounded tone, his pacing underscores the slow grind of kiln labor and the pressures of poverty. Quieter moments reflect Lalloo’s reckoning with fear and obligation. Ahluwali’s narration amplifies this novel’s focus on survival, moral resolve, and the cost of choosing a different future."