Blue Dust

Blue Dust is an emotional, philosophical and cultural journey that maps the relationships, dreams, hopes and fears of three generations of a family in Pakistan and the Middle East. The central character is a highly volatile and loving girl/woman who struggles largely with her own insecurities in her relationships with her father, husband and sister and the world she is born into (from a social and religious point of view ultimately blurring her sense of identity). A significant thread of the narrative is the impact her relationship with her sister has on her life and personality-and the strength of that bond is one of the most enduring forces. Her daughter also plays a pivotal role in encapsulating the emotional mood and tone of the book- particularly in exploring dichotomies of reality and perception-and the power of memory and dreams in articulating how these people respond to the events of their lives. Through the story of this family the author also explores issues in Pakistan relevant to class, religious and social distinctions and the barriers caused by these, and a society which perpetuates and at the same time ignores issues of paedophilia and sexual repression. Blue Dust is a misty, dream-like, touching but often bloody portrayal of intensely self reflexive dramas of these individual people but relevant to the wider issues and concerns of Pakistani society as well. A narrative of passionate characters and many strands, skillfully woven together in this engaging debut novel. Blue Dust is a surreal, poetic and complex work that handles difficult issues with courage.Bapsi Sidhwa With her poetic debut novel, Blue Dust, unfolds loves many moods. Ayesha Salman joins the list of exciting new novelists from Pakistan. Maniza Naqvi