The heartbreaking story of 3 orphaned sisters whose Muslim parents immigrated to the United States from Pakistan. When orphaned, an uncle takes over their care in the most horrific manner. Although the sisters only have each other, this book is more about what separates sisters than what binds them together. The book also explores gender identity. Poetic, upsetting, and very discussable.

4.5 Stars but rounding up for the review!

I really enjoyed this book. I had never read Fatimah's work before this but I look forward to reading their old work as well as whatever else they decide to release in the future.

The writing is absolutely the best part of this book. The story is told from the perspective of the youngest sister (Kausar) and we watch her grow up as the book progresses. The special part is the writing evolves and ages as the narrator continues to age. Even when the narrator is at her/their youngest, the writing is childlike but not childish. I enjoyed the characters, specifically the other sisters (Nooren and Aisha) As an oldest child, Nooren was probably my favorite. I loved that I could understand the thoughts of the other sisters without the perspective shifting. I loved the short poems/sections where we read reflections from their parents. I loved how thoughtful this story is with the lessons, emotions and thoughts one may have as we age.

The only thing I did not like was the structure of the book. One of the chapters in particular was very long and I think a break/common stopping point would've helped maintain the flow/interest for me.

Overall, a great read that I would recommend to others. Some content warnings include death, sexual assault, and child neglect. Thankful to netgalley for the ARC!

Three orphaned sisters are left to raise each other. The story follows their intense bond and how they are inseparable as they are all they have. Noreen, Aisha, and Kausar deal with their problems in their own way, struggling together but also on their own. It follows them as children and into adulthood - showing how everything has affected them. They went through so much abuse, neglect, loss, and sexual assault. It is told from Kausar’s perspective and we see how she navigates her feelings on gender, family, religion, and trying to find a place for herself in the world.

This novel’s lyrical prose was beautiful and I liked that it didn’t stick to one format as well. The story itself is heartbreaking and left me feeling empty at the end. I loved it but wish the ending had a little bit more to it. I do feel that Kausar’s story was unfinished and may stay up tonight thinking about her.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This comes out tomorrow and I'm so excited that I finished it just in time!

This debut novel about the coming of age of 3 Muslim American sisters packs a powerful punch. It reads partly as a novel and mostly as a long poem. The story follows the youngest of 3 orphaned sisters, Kausar, and their life under the guardianship of their selfish and neglectful uncle. Kausar’s loneliness, grief and struggle to belong are amplified by the lyrical prose in which this was written. Brace yourself as this is a heartbreaking read.

Thank you to @netgalley @oneworldbooks for this advance readers copy. This book hits the shelves on 10/18/22.

When We Were Sisters is a heartbreakingly beautiful novel. The story revolves around three sisters who are orphaned and taken in by their uncle, but mostly left to fend for and raise themselves. Mostly told through the eyes of Kausar, the youngest sister, the book captures the pain of loneliness, being an orphan, and feeling different. The sisters grow up together, but still feel very alone. It is sad, but I read the last page feeling hopeful, too.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC.

Kaiser tells the story of herself and her sisters Noreen and Aisha after they are orphaned. The youngest of the trio, she is a sharp observer but is she reliable- not because she chooses not to be but because she does not understand. They are taken in, to use the term loosely, by an uncle who confines them to an apartment but mostly abandons them to care for themselves. There are bright spots (few) but as they mature, creases emerge for the three. They deal not only with the neglect but also with their different-ness as Pakistani Americans in suburban New Jersey. This doesn't always hang together as you might expect. Ashgar is a poet and this is a bit experimental but it's urgent and compelling. There's a reason the uncle's name is blacked out- don't miss the afterword. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. For fans of literary fiction.

When We Were Sisters follows three Muslim American sisters, Noreen, Aisha, and Kausar, who lost both parents. They are then taken by their uncle, who decides to take care of them. Throughout the novel, we follow the sisters through Kausar, the younger sister’s perspective. The story begins when they are young and continues as they get older. I loved the way this story was written. Asghar has a beautiful and poetic writing style. There were moments of heartbreak, especially with what the sisters endured. I loved that the story is told from Kausar’s perspective because she idolizes her sisters and cherishes their sisterhood. Even when their bond was crumbling as they got older, Kausar still adored her sisters and hoped one day; they would bond again. Kausar needed her sisters, especially when she was a teen grappling with gender identity, sexuality, and romantic orientation. This story needed to be told. My only critique is the ending— I wish we had more of what it was like for them as adults. Thank you to Random House Publishing- Random House for my advanced readers copy of this beautiful book.

This story made my heart hurt in all the wonderful and awful ways. I finished it in roughly 24hr and still a few days later I can't stop thinking about it. The questioning of what it means to be a sister, what it means to be a mother, and the complications of what happens when these two identities collide, was intriguing. I'd argue that if you have sisters these questions and the feelings that arise in Asghar's answers will be relatable, regardless of whether you grew up an orphan or not. The writing is brilliant. I was thrilled to see Asghar's poetic voice at work and see them take risks in the construction of a contemporary work of fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the advanced reader copy.

I struggled with this book. The cadence of the narrative was short and choppy. I didn’t grasp why the uncle’s name was blacked out.
I am interested in stories about family and loss, especially sisters. I just couldn’t identify with the characters. This book was a miss fie me.

I so wanted to love love love this but I couldn't! First, I should have taken a second before requesting the book since the author is a poet and I want a book, not poetry or experimental fiction, I want chapters and full scenes not snippets. So that is my fault. Second, I never felt like any of the themes of the book were fully explored. Maybe this was partly due to how it was presented, but it felt like an outline for a book and these were what was going to be further developed in the book. The end result was a story and characters that I never fully engaged with. Someone who enjoys more experimental writing (and/or poetry) might get more from this book. I wanted to!

While I am generally not a fan of poetry, I do tend to enjoy novels written by poets. Novels by poets often take shape in such new and unfamiliar ways and Fatimah Asghar’s upcoming novel When We Were Sisters is no exception. Their approach to the story captures the fleeting impression that memories leave with vivid details standing out against the fuzzy outline of other elements. It both sharpens and softens the harsh and tragic details of Kausar’s family life growing up, struggling to find a way to stay with their sisters at all costs and then living with what it takes to pay that cost. When We Were Sisters demonstrates the heartbreaking truths that nothing is simple, that those who love us also have the greatest power to hurt us, and that not all endings are clean and satisfying.

Having first lost their mother when Kausar was too young to remember her, Kausar, Noreen, and Aisha become orphans when their father is killed – in the wrong place at the wrong time, an accident or murder, it doesn’t matter. They have only each other as they come under the care of their late mother’s brother, though “care” proves to be a loose definition for what he provides. Eager for the money and the prestige that comes with providing for orphans, their uncle vacillates between overbearingly controlling and completely absent leaving the sisters largely to their own devices as they must navigate a world where their statuses as female, Muslim, and orphans each affect their prospects and the dangers they face every day.

One of the things I walked away from When We Were Sisters contemplating was how different the story could look if it had been told through the perspective of either of the other sisters (or all three). Though there were moments of insight into the others (just as there were times when the unnamed uncle was the one whose version of the story we were given), centering so much of the story in the perspective of the youngest allows a flexibility of understanding – and misunderstanding – that helps to paint the extremes with vivid color. The neglect rings harsher when it is filtered through such innocence and ignorance. The need for every scrap of joy and family feels more desperate for having learned so much loss so young and having so few memories of anything to contrast the present with.

The way the novel is written with its short passages that skip and burst across the narrative helps the story avoid a telling rather than showing approach. With so much about identity (understandably) woven into the very fabric of the novel, it would be all too easy for the narrative to become preoccupied with the clashes around Kausar’s exploration of identity, pushing back against their uncle’s rules and the expectations of their community. While reflecting on such things can be valuable, Asghar’s approach keeps the emotional focus on the connection between the sisters at a more visceral and primitive level.

When We Were Sisters will be available October 18, 2022.

When We Were Sisters is a beautiful and heartbreaking story about three orphaned sisters Noreen, Aisha, and Noreen. After the passing of their father, they are left in the care of their uncle "blank," who is their late mother's brother. Preoccupied by people's perception of him, their uncle often does less than minimum to take care of his nieces, and the sisters do their best to take care of each other and survive their situation. The story is told from the youngest sister Kausar's perspective as she grows into adulthood and navigates family, gender, religion, and more. This was my first book by Fatimah Asghar, and her writing is lyrical and captivating.

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ashghar uses spare language to tell a wrenching story of three orphaned sisters who live under the neglect and mistreatment of their maternal uncle after their last parent, their father, is killed. We see the young sisters have to parent themselves and struggle to grow up. Pops of poetic writing convey affecting confusion, fear, longing and rage.

The girls move from Philly to some town in New Jersey to live with their supposed caregiver. As Pakistani Muslims, they navigate life as "second-class citizens" under the eyes of their greedy and controlling uncle, a character whose name has that redacted black band whenever it occurs.

The "Acknowledgements" was one of the most powerful ones I've read. She seems to imply some personal trauma that spurred the writing of this book and of course, I wonder how similar her trauma is to the book's, especially since she has two sisters as the MC does.

Asghar is poet through and through and this poet's voice very much informs and drives the construct and the content of this book. It's beautiful and it magnifies the emotional impact of the story.

Several quotes:

"She laughs and it paints the room."

"At the corner of my eyelids, a dock of pearls begins to form. At the corner of my eyelids, a dock of pearls spills over."

"Let each strand of silence move through the air, its own curl wanting to be oiled."

"It dissolves me, her song. In my mind, a harbor. A boat tied to the dock."

"I fall in love with a boy who wants nothing to do with me. Bobby Perez, with the clouds shaved perfectly into his head. His whole head is the sky and I write his name into my notebook."

"There's so much space in her eyes, black holes that I can't touch."

"In this world we were born into nothing but everything is ours: the sidewalk, the yellow markers in the road. The rain falls through the leaves and kisses us just so. What no one will ever understand is that the world belongs to orphans, everything becomes our mother."

This novel is breathtaking. The prose is gorgeous and the story heart-wrenching but beautiful. I couldn't put this book down. One of my favorite debuts of 2022.

I love when novels experiment with form or perspective. It's so easy to see that this book was written by a poet because it's inventive with its structure and the flow of the language. Although more traditional readers might find the shortened chapters and inserted poems to be unconventional, I loved how unique and free the whole book felt.

"When We Were Sisters" follows the story of three young sisters who become orphaned at a very young age. They're forced to survive in a world where they are made to feel wholly unwanted: because of their femaleness, their Muslim identity, their poverty, etc. The perspective of the youngest sister, Kausar, is heartbreaking but so refreshingly honest and direct. As they grow, they each struggle to find their way, the bond between the three of them sometimes comforting and sometimes stifling.

I loved the way this was told because I felt so immersed in this world. However, I was disappointed with the last section, particularly the ending. There was so much left to the story that I wanted explored and I felt a bit short-changed not knowing the outcome for what had happened to the sisters in their early adulthood.

Fatimah Asghar is insanely talented and I can only imagine her growth as an artist will result in more barrier-breaking art in the future. As for this being her debut, consider me impressed!

This debut novel by Fatimah Asghar tells the story of three orphaned Muslim girls who are taken in by their uncle shortly after their father dies. Told through the eyes of Kausar, the youngest, the reader experiences heartbreak mixed with moments of hope as the three girls come of age, each one finding their own identity in an environment of neglect and abuse, where the only people they can truly rely on are each other.

This book is longlisted for both the National Book Award for Fiction and the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, as it should be. It’s lyrical and heartbreaking, switching between prose and poetry…making the reader feel as if they are in Kausar’s mind as she seeks to understand the complexity of her gender identity, sexuality, culture, and religion, while navigating a world in which her sisters are her only source of stability. I found myself just absorbing the beauty of the writing, getting lost in the lushness of the words. I did feel that the time jump towards the end caused the narrative to feel a bit disjointed and rushed. But in all...this is a tale of grief and struggle, of learning to find one’s true self through the harshest of circumstances, and of the bond that sisters have. It is a heavy and emotional read, so please review the trigger warnings before reading.

A beautiful combination of a coming-of-age novel and poetry, it focuses on a Muslim orphan, Kauser, and two older sisters. Kauser examines her own gender while looking to her sisters for comfort and motherhood as the author takes us on a journey through adolescence, which is difficult enough. Heartbreakingly powerful at times that I couldn’t put down.

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

Fatimah Asghar's debut novel "When We Were Sisters" is a beautiful and haunting book. The book follows the story of three orphans, Noreen, Aisha and Kausar, after their father dies. Their uncle becomes their guardian and instead of taking them in, he leaves them at a run down apartment building to fend for themselves while popping in and out of their lives at his own convenience. The sisters are left to raise themselves and often our narrator, Kausar, will refer to their family unit as sister-brother-mothers to describe the unique bond the develops between them from these circumstances. Asghar uses a combination of prose and poetry to show how Kausar grapples with intense grief, survival, gender identity and growing up as a Muslim-American in the early 2000s.

This book was intense, it deals with difficult themes of grief, child neglect, racism, to name a few. The sisters are thrust into difficult situations and I found their circumstances would balance just to be upended again. It creates a sense of foreboding. At the same time, I found while I was reading, I couldn't put the book down, I had to know what was going to happen next. I needed to know that Noreen, Aisha and Kausar were going to be ok. Asghar does not coddle their readers and you are meant to reflect on the adversity the siblings face.

I would absolutely recommend this book to other readers, it is beautifully written. I would say that readers should be prepared for an emotional journey. When We Were Sisters will stay with you long after you've finished the book.

Not only is this novel about three orphaned sisters and how they overcome when they’re failed by the adults in life- time and time again, it’s also about their resilience and bond to one another, their religion, and hope for more. It’s ultimately a tale of connection and disconnection all in one—with three young women trying to navigate the world of adults. The youngest sister, Kausar, struggles with questions of gender and sexuality, questioning her place in the world and role in the trio.

Asghar has an incredible lyrical command of language, often using turns of phrase describing others “our city is full of used-to-bes.” And staccato moments that exude desperation “I need help. I need an adult. And I don’t know how to get one.” Interesting literary devices are used which maximize the lyrical effect.

I can definitely see why this is a National Book Award nominee, and I’m cheering it on and so anxious for others to get their hands on it. A truly immersive experience that whisks you out of your own reality and a page-turner.

Thank you to Random House-One World and Netgalley for the ARC.

Thank you to the publisher and netGalley for the ARC of this book.

This is a heartbreaking story. The writing is lyrical and flows very well but the story is certainly very heavy and, I feel, left a few things unresolved.

Would love to read more from the author