TRESPASSING

Shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize (Eurasia region) 2003

A Time Out UK Book of the Week

EDITIONS: UK, US, India, Pakistan, Spain (Spanish and Catalan), Netherlands, Portugal, Italy, Germany, France, Greece, Serbia, Norway, Brazil, Romania.

‘In these young lovers, Khan has created two characters whose complex circumstance draws us in… Khan's prose is striking. Some scenes are gut-wrenching, while others are surprisingly humorous -- and all presenting a look at life in a country that remains an enigma.’ —San Francisco Chronicle

‘A startlingly fresh voice ... A rare, wonderful gift of a novel that defies mere plot synopsis: a complex fictional world that illuminates the real one and seamlessly merges the personal with the larger sociopolitical conundrums we all face today.’—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

‘Khan's prose, ornate yet precise in its discussions of both love and politics, mark her as a truly gifted observer of moments grand and minute.’—Publishers Weekly

‘Khan tackles political and religious themes as adroitly as she handles the haunting love story, and what emerges is a brilliant, lush portrait of Karachi, a metropolis teeming with corruption, violence, and social tension.’—Booklist

'‘I like it when a book combines romance and romantic tension with other subjects. That’s the ideal, to me. I view Trespassing as a kind of Pakistani Romeo And Juliet. You have the boy, Daanish, and the girl, Dia and what I like is that their story sort of personalizes the political.’—Curtis Sittenfeld, bestselling author of Eligible, A.V. Club

‘A tender book, distinguished by subtle descriptions of nature. It is a celebration of the importance of perception, inquisitiveness about the smaller details of life, but Khan does not shy awayfrom the bigger picture. Writing intelligently, she explores colonialism, identity and belief, without presuming to offer any conclusions or solutions. Khan works with questions; hints and queries replace absolutes.’ Chloe Diski, New Statesman

‘The silken prose emphasizes the conflict between the tender subject and a world where violence of every sort has become institutionalized. It is a self-confident novel and marks the emergence of a new generation of Pakistani novelists.’—Tariq Ali  

'A narrative as intricately patterned and vivid as lengths of top-quality silk.'—Sunday Telegraph

‘We glimpse a Pakistan that no writer in English has ever depicted before … a delicate erotic tale spun from threads of timeless myth.’ —Aamer Hussein, The Independent

‘Trespassing conflates the personal and the political and seals the joins with a combination of sassy, whip-crack humor and tender description.’ —The Big Issue

‘(Trespassing) should be at the front of many queues. This is a very clever, very timely and very good book indeed… a human story that explores the politicization of ordinary people by circumstances.’ —Britain’s Asian Assets 

'Khan sketches a world where the weak are shoved around by the strong and the strong are dominated by "Amreeka". Trespassing is a chilling reminder of U.S. realpolitik gone horribly wrong.' —Far Eastern Economic Review (Hong Kong)

‘Khan is creating a tradition and style of her own.' —Nilanjana S. Roy, Outlook India