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.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an e-ARC of this novel in exchange for a review.

I really enjoyed this and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to have read it! What a wonderful book!

Ahhh I read this one!!! First of all, thank you to One World for sending me this after reading Safia Elhillo's Girls That Never Die. I'm honored to have an advanced copy of this beautiful award-winning book. One of the lines that stuck with me is "The world belongs to orphans." Absolutely breathtaking. The book is not too long, and the pace moves consistently. Each character is so rich that none of them felt flat; they all added something to the story. I love love love sisterhood as the core part of the book. Their journeys are incredible. All parts regarding what the protagonist goes through are handled with care, and I am really appreciative of that. Fatima Asghar has written a stellar debut!

“What no one will ever understand is that the world belongs to orphans, everything becomes our mother.”

A book so clearly written by an author with a deep and seamless grasp of poetry, who understands its capacity to tell stories that make meaning out of silences and give many meanings to a single word. A book about family, and sisterhood, and loss, grief, love and rage with nowhere to go. A narrator who grows up in a world where they have to grapple with gender, their broader identity and place in the world, and the role of loved ones and their various forms of absence from a young age. Harrowing, moving, and brief but gripping, this tale manages to leave an indelible mark on its reader from the very beginning.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for access to an e-ARC of this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

as someone who has two older sisters, this one hit really close to home. It was BEAUTIFUL. I related so much.
Asghar has such a way with words and pacing of stories...

If They Come For Us is one of my favorite collections of poetry, so I had high expectations for Asghar's debut novel. When We Were Sisters definitely lived up to all of them and went beyond.

This book is definitely not written in traditional prose. Going beyond just being lyrical, Asghar plays around with the visuals of the text with space, form, and punctuation. It's like her poetry in that sense, and also in the cadence of the words.

We follow Kausar's life through struggles with gender, family, and selfhood. Asghar wrote the grief and growth of a young orphan so beautifully. The story was heartwrenching, especially the short "him" and "her" sections.

It took me way too long to finally pick this book up. This and their poetry collection have made me forever need anything Fatimah Asghar has ever written. 5 stars.

Poetic and poignant, I read this entirely in a single sitting. I so enjoyed Asghar’s first poetry collection and I am happy to report that this novel is just as good, emotional and dark but altogether flawless, give this a read if you’re looking to have your heart cracked open.

The lyric essay or prose poem or flash fiction--whatever category you want to call it, this is the genre I'm most attracted to in terms of craft.

I ran into Fatima Asghar's first when I saw her poetry book at, of all places, Target. I'm a happy participant in the book economy, and if a book like that shows up at Target, then I'm going to participate in the capitalist manner of voting for more quality books of poetry by buying it. I didn't have high hopes--Target, after all, having mostly Kupi Kaur books--but it's a stunning collection.

This book is as well.

I would have loved fewer scenes in which the uncle was inept and more of the protagonist's life after living with her sisters, but this is a small critique.

What I really loved was her use of poetry interspersed between major sections and her use of brackets to indicate voice and trust.

I look forward to Asghar's next book--she proves able to move between genre and voice so well.

When We Were Sisters is heartbreaking and poetic. there's a good dose of badass girl to it, enough to lighten the load. I will be on the lookout for Asghar's future work.

I have a soft spot for prose written by poets, so when I saw the author of the poetry collection If They Come for Us was publishing a novel, I was beyond excited. This debut novel featuring a trio of orphaned sisters who are adopted by a neglectful relative did not disappoint, and Asghar’s lyrical style shines in the experimental writing and unique structure of the book.

I'm so glad I read this book. It was heartwrenching and absolutely beautifully written. I loved the glimpse into Muslim culture, especially from the perspective of those who are still attached to their roots and their heritage trying to survive in a harsh world. The writing was, as many have said, quite fragmented and poetic, which sometimes made it challenging to fully immerse in the story; however, it was just such an artistic and moving experience to read this book. Thank you for the ARC, NetGalley!

This is a powerful book. It's highly literary, with a number of poetic tangents. I think this was beautifully done, but it can be intimidating for readers who usually stick to genre fiction. A great deal is left open to interpretation, and I initially found it a bit frustrating, as I craved more explanation regarding the motivations of each sister. With time and reflection, I've become more comfortable with the author's nuanced approach, but in some ways, I do wish they had given the reader just a bit more insight. Overall, however, this is an emotional and beautifully told story.

A beautifully lyrical story of grief told through a poets voice, the story of three orphaned muslim girls who must navigate a world of racism and abuse in the care of their neglectful uncle. A story of the power of sisterhood, told in prose. A story about coming of age and finding a place. A story of what it means to carry grief.

A coming of age story focused on 3 orphaned sisters living under unspeakable conditions in the “care” of their uncle. The narrative is told from the point of view of the youngest sister and leaves the reader heartbroken for her. She continues to grasp for belonging and security in those around her, only to be consistently let down. The lyrical nature of the writing made the story more interesting even though the story did not stay with me as much as I would have liked.

What can I say about this lyrical, non traditional, heartbreakingly beautiful book? Three orphaned girls in a culture that doesn’t consider girls as much - devastating - the youngest who just wants to be loved - heartbreaking - growing up, moving on, remembering and memories all skewed - well done! Read this book. It’s not traditionally written, and I feel that’s exactly what this story and these emotions needed. This is my second read by this author and I can’t wait to see what’s next! 📖 🤓

I ended up tearing through this in the space of two days, partially because of end of year winter holidays and also because of how well written it is. We get the point of view of the youngest of three Muslim American sisters who are orphaned after their father is murdered, and they are shoved off into the care of a shitty, abusive uncle who threatens them constantly and tries to keep them hidden from the wider community, against poetic sections where their dead mother and father talk about their early life together. The writing is gorgeous and haunting, and you can tell why it was longlisted for a National Book Award. Pick it up if you get the chance.

I have read If They Come for Us by Fatimah Ashgar and loved it, so I was pleased to have the opportunity from NetGalley to check out When We Were Sisters. This lyrical novel is a hard read, but so well-written and beautiful. Ashgar clearly has a way with words and I couldn't put this down.

Three orphaned Muslim sisters are essentially left to raise themselves in America when their parents die in the excellent book When We Were Sisters.
The author takes us through life with the three girls who are sent to live with a neglectful uncle. His authoritarian rule is heartbreaking and this story is heart wrenching.
The writing is absolutely gorgeous it's almost poetic its so good. I could not put this book down and highly recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my review.