Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this inventive blend of fantasy and psychological thriller from Akhtar (Kismet), New York City pharmacist Dunia Ahmed is severely shaken when a stranger tries to push her in front of an oncoming subway train. After bystanders save Dunia by wrestling her assailant to the ground, the man breaks free; mouths the words, "I'm sorry," to Dunia; and throws himself in front of a different train. Several more attempts on Dunia's life follow, and she becomes convinced that someone is targeting her. Flashbacks to Dunia's childhood reveal details of the Pakistani folklore she grew up with, and before long, she begins to suspect that her pursuer may be paranormal. Eventually, Dunia goes missing and is presumed dead. Akhtar builds to her protagonist's disappearance in chapters that alternate Dunia's perspective with transcripts of a true crime podcast that has spawned an obsessive "Find Dunia" movement. Mystery readers may quarrel with a few minor plot holes, but for the most part, Akhtar delivers a surprising and suspenseful ride. This is a winner. Agent: Chris Bucci, Aevitas Creative Management. (Feb.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
New York pharmacist Dunia Ahmed has been missing for more than a year and is the subject of a popular true-crime podcast. Is she really dead? Narrator Kelsey Jaffer, accompanied by a full cast, takes listeners into Dunia's life before her disappearance. As the daughter of Pakistani immigrants, Dunia had a childhood full of imaginary friends, stories about djinns, and dangerous sleepwalking adventures. In adulthood, she is estranged from her family. When her mother dies, Dunia's world begins to crumble. Her fiancé leaves her and then stalks her. Her boss dislikes her. One day, a stranger grabs her in the subway and tries to throw her onto the tracks. The police investigation is ongoing when Dunia is attacked a second and third time. With the help of a family friend, she begins to uncover secrets from her past and make a plan for the future. Akhtar weaves elements of the supernatural into the life of a troubled woman searching for a place in the world. Jaffer, who voices Dunia, is a standout primary narrator. The talented supporting cast engagingly performs the book's podcast sections and maintains tension throughout. VERDICT A suspenseful psychological thriller, steeped in Pakistani folklore.--Joanna M. Burkhardt
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A woman is attacked on the New York City subway, and subsequent attacks reveal that she's being targeted. A pharmacist who's the daughter of Pakistani immigrants, Dunia Ahmed leads a quiet life that's quickly upended after a man tries to throw her onto the subway tracks. When Dunia calls for help, other riders fight the man off, only for him to throw himself in front of an oncoming train in a haze of black smoke. Two years later, Dunia is missing, and the host of a murder podcast seeks to retrace the terrifying events leading up to her disappearance. Between these two points, first-person narrator Dunia recounts what happened after the initial attack--including being stalked by her ex-fiance and suffering additional attempts on her life--and tries to figure out who in her life might also know her would-be assassins. As a child, Dunia was a sleepwalker and frequently spoke to imaginary friends; her sleepwalking returns after the first attempt on her life, prompting her to worry about her mental health. Interspersed with this narrative are flashbacks to when Dunia was 5 and her father had a heart attack and died in front of her, which she always felt that her mother and sister blamed her for. She was close to her father, who told her stories about the legendary jinn. Some short chapters consist of podcast interviews with people who knew Dunia before her disappearance, including her friends, her ex-fiance, the police officer investigating her case, and Zabir, a cousin by marriage who teaches South Asian studies, including a course on jinn. Akhtar's novel has one foot set firmly in folklore and the other in fast-paced action as Dunia questions whom she can trust and what she will have to do to survive. Though the suspense is real, Akhtar deftly weaves in levity with the campiness of the podcast, and the earnestness of Dunia's voice keeps the reader rooting for her to outrun her demons. A nimble and eerie thriller. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
