An incredible book. I haven't read a lot of books set in Pakistan recently that have done the intersection of gender, poverty, and identity as well this book does. 

Faraz Ali is the illegitimate son of a rich man (now Minister) and a courtesan in Lahore's Moholla. He was plucked from his home with his mother and sister in the Moholla at a young age by his father and placed in the care of relatives. Thus, he grows up, ashamed of his true identity, a kanjar and illegitimate child his own father will not openly acknowledge. His father arranges a choice posting for his grown son, now a police inspector, to the Moholla to discreetly arrange for a murder to be "taken care of" without making any noise officially. Faraz takes this opportunity to try and find his long lost family, despite having almost nothing to go on except his mother's name and that she was a courtesan here and never came to take him back.

The rotational point of view chapters do a fantastic job of fleshing out the complexities and motivations of various characters. In addition to Faraz, chafing against being ordered around but never claimed by society, we have point-of-view chapters from his sister, now an ageing movie star who has found herself back in the Moholla, his father in his youth in the army, and others. All of these are carefully crafted to fill in the stories about Faraz's life and family and leading to a satisfying conclusion following an extended period of Faraz's bone-deep loneliness and shame.

One of the best things about this book is its illustration of an uncaring world in both Pakistan, the newly born Bangladesh, and elsewhere. The characters are lost and trying to find home while the world averts it eyes from their pain.

If you're looking for a fantastic book about the pathos-filled lives of the poor and disenfranchised in this part of the world that avoids cliche and has an excellent cast of complex characters, this is it.