A poetic, emotional novel about three orphaned Muslim American sisters growing up together. The storytelling is raw and beautiful, weaving in themes of grief, resilience, and identity. A gut-punch of a book in the best way.

This is one of those much-lauded book that seemed to fail to connect as much with readers as with critics and I would love to see more people pick it up. The story is heartbreaking but beautiful, following three sisters whose bond is irrevocably altered by the deaths of their parents. A moving tribute to family, but also a realistic depiction about the tensions that can occupy sibling relationships, Asghar has penned a riveting work of fiction for readers of Best of Friends and The Vanishing Half.

I love love love loved this book. "When We Were Sisters" is a beautifully written debut that delves into the complex tapestry of sibling bonds, identity, and resilience.

What a stunning novel. Thank you so much for an early editions. I look forward to reading more from Fatimah Asghar.

✨ When We Were Sisters ✨ is one of those books that grabs your heart and doesn’t let go. It’s a raw, emotional story about sisterhood — the kind of love that’s messy, complicated, and absolutely unbreakable.

I’m always drawn to books that explore the deep bonds between siblings, and this one delivers all the feelings. The story is heartbreaking and beautiful, filled with complex emotions and moments that had me tearing up and cheering for these sisters.

If you love books about family, resilience, and finding hope even when life feels impossible — add this one to your list. 💖👭📚

I wasn't able to finish reading this book before it got archived, but what I read was good. I like the cover, art style and the premise. I saw other people's reviews and people seemed to like it. I will definitely look it up at the library soon. Thank you Netgalley for letting me read and review this book.

This is copied directly from my blog (link below);

Title: When We Were Sisters*


Author: Fatimah Asghar


Rating: 4.25 stars / 5 stars


*This post contains affiliate links. If you make purchases after using these links, I will earn a percentage of your purchase without any further cost to you.


Favorite Quote: “I wonder how it would be if all our memories stacked up together, what would be real and what would be make-believe.”


Review: Thank you to the publisher, One World, and the NetGalley platform for the free e-ARC that I received in exchange for an unbiased review.


This is a book to read slowly, just to savor it. In its pages, readers will find Kausar, the youngest of three orphaned sisters sent to live with their uncle after the death of their father. From the start, the sisters are crammed into a space, hidden from their uncle’s wife and biological children, so that he is able to take whatever money that was meant for them following the death of their father, while caring for them only in terms of providing a roof over their heads and food from time to time. Other than that, the sisters are left largely on their own, minus the occasional renter or uncle’s mistress who also occupy the small apartment. As the novel progresses, readers follow as each sister ages from childhood to adulthood, focusing specifically on Kausar’s sexual and gender identities, the evolution of her relationship with her sisters as they sometimes meld into one and other times shatter apart, and her shifting place in religion and her definition of “family.”


This book stands apart in a number of ways, but particularly in its structure and in its exploration of “identity.”


In terms of the structure, the narrative shifts from a more “traditional” novel structure (a linear story told from an established point of view), to a more fractured, sometimes stream of consciousness structure that mimics the destabilized environment in which Kausar and her sisters are thrust into upon arriving in their uncle’s apartment.


The concept of identity is one that is explored in great detail in this relatively short novel. Particularly, Kausar’s religious identity, gender identity, and sexual identity are all explored on the page, but so is something more profound. The sisters, in their shared trauma, are melded together in many ways, psychically, emotionally, and, because of the size of the apartment, a shared, forced physical proximity as well. Kausar is often found pondering where one of them ends and the next begins, and the answer is that there wasn’t always an answer.


The novel is also a study in the complexities of grief. There is, of course, the loss of their parents - a mother they can barely remember and a father whose murder triggers their moving to live with their uncle. The sisters’ grief surrounding these deaths permeates the entire novel. But there’s also the grief surrounding the loss of their chosen family (a couple without biological children who live in the apartment complex temporarily), the loss of their childhoods, and, in the end, the loss of their uncle - someone who was responsible for their countless miseries for the bulk of their lives, but also someone who they formed some sort of allegiance to (the layers of emotional abuse and instability throughout the novel is also profound).




About that Quote: The perspective in this novel is interesting because there is a chance that the narrator is unreliable, but not in the way “unreliable narrator” is traditionally understood. This isn’t out of malice or to forward a mystery intentionally leaving readers hanging, but rather because the world is big and scary and traumatic and Kausar and her sisters are simply trying to cope and grow and survive. And sometimes the act of remembering, or of not remembering, is the foundation for that survival. This quote comes towards the end of the book, a book that in many ways shows the reader what Kausar experienced and remembered. What of it was real? What of it wasn’t? And what, exactly, does “real” mean, anyways? This book doesn’t answer these questions so much as pose them in a prose that is equal parts haunting and deliberate.



Incomplete TW list: Allusions to CSA (not on page - the uncle threatens to accuse the neighbor of CSA against Kausar), parent death, m*rder, bullying, questionable consent


Have you read When We Were Sisters? Share your thoughts below!

When We Were Sisters is an engrossing story of family, love, and belonging. Asghar explores these topics with thoughtful and poetic writing.

Tells the story of three orphaned sisters who are trying to carve their own paths, deal with their own demons, and more.

Firstly, this is one of the most beautifully written books I have read in a long time. The way the author weaves together the narratives, the languages she uses, etc. It was just gorgeous.

I loved the relationship she also forged between the sisters. You could the ebb and flow of loyalty and family, but also the three sisters trying so desperately to understand their own narratives. The uncle was the one part of story that still has my mind puzzled. I feel like more could have been done for the girls, but bureaucracy would make it hard, I'm sure.

Overall, I really loved this book. It's been one of my favorites so far this year.

Thank you for the ARC!

Definitely gives Mustang (the film) vibes, and paints an appealingly unsettled and complex portrait of trauma-laced domesticity. Perhaps a little less formally/linguistically daring (or at least potent) than I might have expected from Asghar, but I also was confident this would be a top 2 or 3 book of 2022, so my expectations were a bit too high. Excellent nonetheless, especially for a debut, so grain of salt my criticisms, folks.

Thanks for the review copy, I learned about gender siblings, family, and what it is like to be Muslim in America. Very interesting.

This is an achingly beautiful debut novel from Fatimah Asghar. When We Were Sisters is a profound meditation on the bonds of sisterhood, the weight of grief, and the power of resiliency.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

The narrative of the book unfolds the profound connection among three orphaned siblings who, following the demise of their parents, find themselves responsible for each other. The youngest, Kausar, grapples with the unfathomable loss of her parents while navigating her evolving understanding of gender. Aisha, the middle sister, contends with her sensitive younger sibling as she endeavours to maintain a sense of family in an impossible situation. Meanwhile, Noreen, the eldest, shoulders the responsibilities of a sister-mother while also striving to forge her path.

As Kausar matures, she confronts the clash between her private and public spheres, forcing her to decide whether to remain in the familiar realm of love, sorrow, and codependency or embark on a new journey. When We Were Sisters is narrated with exquisite prose and an experimental style influenced by the author Fatimah Asghar's background in poetry. This 350-page book reads swiftly due to its unique structure, yet Asghar skillfully delves into the characters and their coming-of-age tale, exploring themes of family, sisterhood, religion, race, and identity. The story is emotionally poignant, depicting three orphaned girls entrusted to a neglectful uncle who provides minimal care. Kausur, as the narrator, unfolds the narrative, revealing how her sisters initially constitute her entire world. However, as she grapples with comprehending the world and her role within it, she gradually withdraws into herself. The book left a profound impact, evoking deep emotions as it portrays the journey of three sisters navigating love, loss, and self-discovery.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fatimah Asghar shows us the many faces of sisterhood when tested by the constant waves of grief and neglect in their debut novel When We Were Sisters. Kausar, Alisha, and Noreen are suddenly orphans after the murder of their father and the death of their mother years prior. Their uncle takes the girls away from the only home they've ever known and forces them to grow up in a run-down apartment abandoned for weeks and sometimes without food and adult supervision.

Three young sisters are orphaned after the untimely death of their parents. The sisters are sent to live with their uncle and a journey of sadness, desperation and loneliness begin. The audience of this novel will feel for these sisters as they deal with essentially being left to handle childhood and life’s hardships alone. The authors style of writing was not what I prefer and at times I lost interest in the story. Thank you to #RandonHouse and #Netgalley for allowing me to read this novel.

Thank you to @netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of When We Were Sisters by Fatima Asghar. This debut novel is about three sisters from Pakistan who have moved to America with their parents. Their mother dies, and their father is murdered. They have one uncle in America who reluctantly takes them in, but his American wife is not happy about this, and he has the sisters live by themselves-the oldest one is only nine when the story begins-in an apartment building that he owns. This is told from the perspective of the youngest sister, and follows them through childhood and adolescence and into adulthood. They go through a lot, including prejudice against muslims and also poverty, and are mostly there for each other. It was pretty dark and sad-sadly I’m sure probably realistic. I liked this one okay but probably would give it 3.5 stars. #netgalley #whenweweresisters #fatimaasghar #bookstagram #debutnovel #lovetoread #bookblog #readallthebooks #booksbooksbooks #takeapagefrommybook #readersofinstagram #novelreader #bookloversofinstagram #booklover #bookbloggersofinstagram

4 stars- this is one that will stick with me for a long time after reading. thanks netgalley & the publisher!

3.5 stars. Thank you to Net Galley and Random House One World for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. Three Muslim American sisters are orphaned after their mom dies from an illness and their father is murdered. They move to be with an uncle who "cares" for them yet are left alone in a decrepit apartment where nothing seems to work right and many times don't have the money to buy food. The uncle only checks in on them from time to time and it seems he's in it for their families money which he controls. The story is seen through the Kausar (I believe 10 years old at the beginning of the story, the youngest of the three sisters. We see this situation through her eyes of what they deal with - neglect, racism, sexual abuse. .Aisha is the middle and Noreen the oldest. All are dealing with their loss, grief and being uprooted from their home in different ways. Noreen has become their mother figure yet also wants to fit in with American culture. Aisha is dealing with the grief and her crybaby little sister. Yet, through it all, they support each other and persevere to survive what life has dealt them. I most enjoyed the parts where the author interwove her poetry with her prose.

Just like her poetry, Fatimah Asghar's fiction is specific and memorable in its details, and emotionally evocative.

Please see the following link for the review published last year: https://counterclock.org/blog/review-of-when-we-were-sisters

My first introduction with Fatimah Asghar happened through their poem “If They Should Come For Us”— which explores the intricate theme of borders between humanity—in my sophomore year of high school. I remember reading their lucid writing, the wisdom of it, how the words felt warm on my tongue. As a fifteen-year-old who wrote a lot, I was immediately struck by the fierceness, inimitable quality, and the liquidity of their writing where the sentences seemed like an island of themselves.

Flash forward to three years later, finally a high school graduate, I read When We Were Sisters, a novel that reminded me so much of my past, of the time lost but also of the time gained. It reminded me of the utmost bond between the writer and their writing, of artistic resilience and of the complexities of the human experience. In between the lines, I found myself on a precipice of something. A new space.

In When We Were Sisters—a portrait of grief entwined with the complex familial relationships, Asghar explores such space. They write with an urgency that feels poignant and fulfilling. Their world of orphans is resilient yet moving, powerful yet stunning—the tone as sharp as their characters. It is powerful, gut-wrenching yet so beautiful. They explore sisterhood, trauma, orphanage, and how characters connect with the world through a fractured sense of place. A literary manifesto, their work is cited by them as “one of the most difficult artistic endeavours” they’ve ever undertaken.

In the book, Asghar made me believe in language and how it could reach corners nothing else is capable of reaching. The protagonist of the story, Kauser—an orphaned Muslim South Asian girl—is often belittled by the imaginary wall of words she has built for herself. Her intense bond with her sisters, namely Noreen and Aisha follows her from the brink of childhood to the fence above adulthood. Slowly and gracefully, they follow each other’s cabaret, stuck in a time lapse of dense imagination and language which is important to them in understanding the world. They build a home from a torn foundation and lay the bricks one feet apart. Soon, they realize they’re housed in a labyrinth. Their parents are dead. Their uncle call them “prostitute” when they are seen talking to boys. His tone is ambiguous—almost demanding. But in the midst of this all, Kauser appears as a brave character, hoping to make a difference.

As a young person coming of age, I could relate to Kauser a lot. Her growing up and contending with the collision of her private and public life and her decisions touched a periphery in the story that felt thoughtful and subliminal. Whether it is the exploration of sisterhood, trauma, orphanage, longing, or grief, Asghar’s characters spoke out to me. As a person of South Asian origin, I value collective experiences in literature when it comes to storytelling. Kauser both surprised and navigated me throughout the text. She is complex, brimming with emotions. But it comes from a brokenness that seems almost never-ending. Unlike her sisters, she would not shy away from sharing moments of tenderness with her uncle—who otherwise seemed conceited and hostile toward herself and her sisters—because she sees the brokenness behind his dark eyes and threatening face. She visits the lighter parts of him in the sporadic moments like such when he is sitting beside her, sharing what he calls his forgotten past filled with conflict and revolution.

Identity remains one of the key themes in the story. In a 2022 interview, Asghar commented on the issue of representation, saying, “When we are talking about representational burden, in my mind, the ideal goal would be that none of us should have the burden of carrying a representational voice. It’s important to normalise the various ways in which these identities are lived.” While reading this book, I found myself on the precipice on two identities. One dealt with Kauser and her understanding of the world and second with how the reader perceives her. There was a lot that I was still coming to terms with through the worlds of the characters, particularly in understanding the raw aptitude of their internal conflicts. Every time I thought I understood them, the internal world of the story came forth with new complexities to unravel with. It left me wanting for more. Such is the experience of reading this book.

At the end, I was left intrigued by the pressure the atmosphere of the book had created. I was amused but also distorted. I admired the characters for their resilience but also was torn into shreds because of their complexity. Sure, they might not be easy to reckon with, but reading about them made me realize the importance of diverse perspectives in the world of storytelling. Asghar’s world is vivid with lyrical prose that traverses the lines between fiction and autofiction.

When We Were Sisters is a remarkable story about sisterhood, trauma, and grief. To turn its pages is like turning the whole ocean apart, finding pieces of itself in the debris. An interwoven tale of broken places, sadness and grief, the novel will make you sad, happy, hopeful—everything, but all at once.