Wounded Words

Fourteen years ago, Samina—a dazzling beauty and fearless activist—disappeared without a trace. Two years earlier, her lover, known as “The Poet,” had been beaten to death by government thugs. Today, her daughter, Asmani, is still tormented by the burden of the past and harbors questions about her mother’s fate....
The young woman starts working in television and that's how she meets Ed. Soon after, an encrypted letter arrives - proof that Samina and Poet are alive. Asmani grasps onto the glimmer of hope. And the closer she gets to the truth, the stronger her bond becomes with Ed - the only one who understands the deep pain and intense love that keeps her alive.

With her characteristic flair and insight, Camilla Shamzi invites us on a dizzying and painful journey through Pakistan’s turbulent history. Her magnetic narrative is a poetic ode to the power of words, an intimate story of a shattered mother-daughter relationship, and a beautiful reflection on love and forgiveness. A novel in which words truly come alive...