The Wish Maker

Ali Sethi

Jun 2009 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

From the world-renowned singer-songwriter, a debut novel about a fatherless boy growing up in a family of outspoken women in contemporary Pakistan, The Wish Maker is a brilliant tale about sacrifice, betrayal, and indestructible friendship.

Zaki Shirazi and his female cousin Samar Api were raised to consider themselves “part of the same litter.” In a household run by Zaki's crusading political journalist mother and iron-willed grandmother, it was impossible to imagine a future that could hold anything different for each of them. But when adolescence approaches, the cousins’ fates diverge, and Zaki is forced to question the meaning of family, selfhood, and commitment to those he loves most.

Chronicling world-changing events that have never been so intimately observed in fiction, and brimming with unmistakable warmth and humor, The Wish Maker is the powerful account of a family and an era, a story that shows how, even in the most rapidly shifting circumstances, there are bonds that survive the tugs of convention, time, and history.

Ratings and reviews

Zaki is a Pakistanian child who is very aware of American culture from TV and movies. His family is very progressive and resent the culture they live in, touching on the governmental rule of the country and the oppression. Political and informative fiction for students interested in learning about the Middle East. Chronicling world-changing events that have never been so intimately observed in fiction and brimming with unmistakable warmth and humor, The Wish Maker is the powerful account of a family and an era, a story that shows how, even in the most rapidly shifting circumstances, there are bonds that survive the tugs of convention, time, and history.

About the author

Ali Sethi grew up in Pakistan in a family of dissenting journalists and publishers. A recent Harvard graduate, he has contributed to The New York Times and The Nation among other publications. He currently lives in Lahore.