Mariam is pregnant and fleeing an abusive marriage as the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait begins. Leaving her husband Tareq for dead, she crosses the border and is evacuated with the help of Raj, who she meets at a refugee camp and who suggests she assume the identity of his dead wife so she can be issued Indian papers.

Twenty-five years later, Mariam is still living under the identity of Raj’s Indian wife in the US and Tareq is still looking for his wife.

This was an unexpected little jewel of a book. It is very well written and the narration was excellent. The book had suspense, twists and turns and an explosive ending. I really enjoyed this novel.

i really enjoyed reading this book, the characters were great and it really got to me psychologically.

Mariam, a woman in Kuwait, survives terrible abuse at the hands of her husband. She leaves him when she discovers she is pregnant. After a harrowing escape, during which her husband Tareq gets shot and left for dead, Mariam makes it out of the country by using a dead woman's identity. Raj, an Indian man, helps her and they end up staying together.

She makes it to America and settles into a nice life. She has her daughter, Aliya, and Raj raises her as his own. Mariam still blames herself for Tareq's abuse and has never told her family what happened. She still lives in fear of her real identity being revealed and Raj is getting frustrated with her secrets. Mariam ends up going to a therapist to help her with her fears.

Mariam's cousin invites her to a party for Kuwait refugees. Mariam's therapist and Raj talk her into going. Little does she know, Tareq is also going to be there.

Sirens of Memory is a stunning look at domestic abuse and how far it can really go. The story is so real, I felt like I was living through this with Mariam. Puja Guha is just amazing! I will be looking for more of her work.

Mariam is married to Tariq. He is extremely abusive. Like most women in abusive relationships she blames herself. When she is admitted into the hospital for a concussion and cuts on her arms because he threw her through a glass table, she assures everyone that she will be fine, that because of her clumsiness she tripped and fell on the table herself. It is during this hospital visit that she is told she is pregnant. Now her focus is on escaping her husband and protecting her child at all costs.
A poignant story of abuse, love, sisterhood and reclaiming self back from being victimized.

This is a terrific book and I highly recommend it.

It was heart-wrenching to read Mariam's journey from an abusive relationship to freedom. The brisk pace of the storyline kept me totally engaged and wanting to learn about the ending.

Mariam, a Kuwaiti woman is married off against her wishes at age 19, to a man who totally abuses her, physically, emotionally, mentally, and sexually assaults her.

In the bleakness of the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq, it provides Mariam an avenue of escape from her toxic relationship with her husband. Using the identity of a dead woman, Mariam manages to flee from Kuwait and start her new life.

Just when we thought that Mariam manages to get away and start a new life safe and free in Austin, her abusive husband tracks her down and threatens the lives of her new family members.

Summary :
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Mariam's story of survival. It was an emotional roller coaster ride but one that was well appreciated. The story was well written, characters were well described and easy to relate to. Kudos to Puja Guha, looking forward to more great reads from you.

Abusive marriage, being a refugee and coping with trauma and guilt are the themes of this suspenseful novel. This psychological novel reads like a thriller. There's surprisingly deep insight in an abusive marriage - from both POWs.

3.5 stars

An emotional story. Not as much of a psychological thriller, as I'd been led to believe based on the blurb, but still a good read. Key themes of abuse could be a potential trigger for some readers. It was empowering to read Mariam's journey from abuse to freedom. The active pace keeps the reader engaged and turning the pages.

Mariam is a young Kuwaiti woman who was forced to marry her husband, Tareq, following the death of her mother. As we meet her we discover that she is in a very traditional family and community where the women’s lives are often strictly controlled by the men. Mariam has always to dress conservatively, has very restricted reading materials and totally subjugated by her husband. Allied to this she is forced to conceal the fact from family and friends that Tareq is extremely violent towards her, beating her severely and raping her. She tries to hide this coercive control from her friends. Her sister rejected these allegations when Mariam tried to confide in her how bad her husband was.

Then Iraq invades Kuwait and she is forced to hide with her servant and her friend, three women defenceless in the madness that is the Iraqi invasion.

What interested me most in this book was the invasion – I clearly remember the news coverage of this at the time and it was revealing to have this insight. What horrified me, of course, is the way the women not only live, but survive under such treatment.

As we meet up with Mariam years later her life is completely different but we are witness to the long lasting terrible effects of her abuse. I was not as convinced by these later events as I believed they lacked the power of the earlier episodes. That said, I couldn’t wait to finish it to see what happened.

Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

Maria married at a young age through a arranged marriage set up by her step father.He was very abusive and beat her .When she found out she was pregnant she new she had to flee.She escapes during the gulf war and meets Raj at a Indain refugee camp.She Mangeshkar to escape using his deceased wife's documents .Her journey is far from over,This was a heart wrenching story with lots of twist turns and suspense

Emotional and completely touching as a read. I have devoured this book in just one afternoon and have been thinking about this ever since I finished reading it.