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Maps for Lost Lovers by Nadeem Aslam
Published by Faber in 2004

In an English town called Dasht-e-Tanhaii (The Desert of Solitude) by the Pakistani community resident there, two young lovers, Jugnu and Chanda have disappeared. Two of Chanda’s brothers are suspected of having perpetrated an "honour" killing and arrested on a charge of murder. Maps for Lost Lovers takes place in the next 12 months after the murders following the lives of Shamas, Jugnu’s brother, and his wife Kaukub and highlights the clash of their traditional culture with that of modern Britain. Shamas, a community worker, has no need for Islamic orthodoxy. Kaukub, a devout Muslim, knows no other way, and her religious fervor has driven all their children away. The book focuses on the cultural gulf between modern Britain and some of the immigrant enclaves within it and the sense of alienation felt by some of those immigrants. Nadeem Aslam treats his characters with extraordinary tenderness, making their aspirations, fears, and heartaches as recognizable as our own.

‘A striking and impressive novel’ The Sunday Times

‘In this book, filled with stories of cruelty, injustice, bigotry and ignorance, love never steps out of the picture – it gleams at the edges of even the deepest wounds . . . a remarkable achievment.’ The Guardian

‘Aslam’s prose soars, dazzling images abound . . . Through the opulence of his writing and the darkness of his message Aslam quite brilliantly and shockingly seduces his reader . . . Beautiful and only too real, this story born of romance and pain matches its artistry with courage. It is an important novel and also a very fine one.’ The Irish Times

About the author
Nadeem Aslam was born in Pakistan and moved to England where he still lives at the age of 14. He says that Maps for Lost Lovers took him 11 years to write.

By the same author
The Waster Vigil