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Stealing Nasreen is a novel about the lives of three very different
people, all of whom belong to the same small religious community.
Set in Toronto with back story in Mumbai, Nasreen Bastawala, an
Indo-Canadian lesbian and burnt-out psychologist, becomes enmeshed
in the lives of Shaffiq and Salma Paperwala, new immigrants from
Mumbai.
While working in the same Toronto hospital
as Nasreen, Shaffiq develops a persistent and confusing fascination
with Nasreen, causing him to bring home and hide things he “finds” in
her office. Salma, his wife, discovers some of these hidden treasures
and suspects that something is amiss. Unbeknownst to Shaffiq, Nasreen
begins attending weekly Gujarati classes taught by Salma, who finds
herself inexplicably attracted to her student. This attraction
harkens back memories and regrets Salma holds about a lesbian affair
that ended badly years ago.
Nasreen has troubles of her own. She recently broke up with her
cheating girlfriend and still has mixed feelings about her, and
their relationship. She is also dealing with her father, who has
become demanding and clingy ever since the death of her mother
a couple of years before.
Without knowing that it is happening, Nasreen
becomes the centre of Shaffiq and Salma’s lives. Each keeps a secret about Nasreen,
and in so doing risks their marriage, while Nasreen struggles to
come to terms with her mother’s death, her recent break-up,
and her new relationship with her father. An impulsive kiss between
Salma and Nasreen sets off a surprising course of events.
www.farzanadoctor.com
for information about upcoming readings, past interviews or reviews
of Stealing Nasreen, go to www.farzanadoctor.wordpress.com
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