Under the Tamarind Tree

August 14, 2023
In Alam’s shaky debut, four friends must face the devastating repercussions of a life-changing event in post-Partition Karachi, Pakistan. In the present day, Rozeena, a retired pediatrician, reluctantly agrees to allow the granddaughter of Haaris, a man she used to be in love with and has not seen for decades, to be her gardener. Her history with Haaris is revealed in a secondary timeline, in the mid-1960s, when Rozeena, Haaris, and their friends Aalya and Zohair attend Haaris’s welcome home ball upon his return from studying in Liverpool. Aalya, secretly from a family of servants who was bequeathed their employer’s home in a wealthy neighborhood, has feelings for Zohair, who unknowingly played a role in Rozeena’s brother’s death during the violence of Partition when India’s independence split the country in two. Aalya, though, knows she needs to find a wealthier husband to keep her family’s secret safe. A divorced stranger takes liberties with Aalya at the ball, setting off a series of shocking events that change the friends’ lives forever. Rozeena, meanwhile, strives to establish her pediatric practice and keep her widowed mother from selling their dilapidated family home. The story expends too much energy on the welcome home ball, leaving little room for character development outside of that night’s events. This underperforms. Agent: Giles Milburn, Madeleine Milburn Literary.

February 1, 2024

Alam's debut traverses two timelines--one in 1960s post-Partition Karachi and the other in 2019. Amid the riots, violence, and upheaval of Partition, Rozeena and her parents escape to Karachi, where some of the fortunate few receive immediate housing. In 1964, Rozeena and her newly acquired best friends, Haaris, Aalya, and Zohair, navigate their new lives while adhering to strict rules of conduct and class. Then, a welcome home ball for Haaris, who has been studying abroad, brings radical and long-lasting change to all their lives. In 2019, Haaris, now living in the United States, asks Rozeena to befriend his granddaughter Zara, who is visiting Karachi for the summer. Rozeena agrees, and Zara shows up at Rozeena's place every day, mostly to get away from her parents. Their friendship blossoms but also threatens to reveal long-held secrets about the past. Narrator Sneha Mathan delivers the story with emotion and sensitivity, bringing the characters to life and capturing Alam's vividly described landscape. Mathan nimbly moves between the two timelines, drawing listeners into this story of generational trauma, class and caste prohibitions, and the unforeseen consequences of deception. VERDICT A beautifully told tale, offering a compelling love story and insight into Partition and its aftermath.--Joanna M. Burkhardt

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