Thanks to NetGalley and W.W. Norton & Company for providing me with an eARC.

This is definitely one of the best short story collections I've read in a while. Every story hit its mark accurately -- haunting and heartbreaking. Somehow the stories manage to be both dark and uplifting in a way that's difficult to describe. The stories were primarily about handling grief and a lot of self- introspection and were executed very well. The writing and structure of the stories heavily reminded me of Khaled Hosseini's books, especially A Thousand Splendid Suns. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for an anthology that will evoke strong emotions while reading that is set in South Asian countries and cultures.

Once you start reading you won't be able to stop. Heavy hitter stories that will bring you some big feelings. Honest and raw writing.

4.25/5

A beautiful collection of short stories. Told from the perspectives of eight different Pakistani individuals, centralized around dealing with loss and grief.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC!

An excellent collection of Pakistani short stories. My favorite was 'My Bones Hold A Stillness'. This will be a strong contender for my favorite short story book of this year.

This was absolutely stunning. Javed is a new favorite author of mine, her prose are absolutely stunning. These stories are heart wrenching and kept me absolutely glued to the pages. Overall this was a very compelling and touching collection of short stories.

This collection of short stories about grief and loss was beautifully written. The characters were so raw and haunting which is sometimes hard to do in a short story. The character development in every story was perfect. The stories are very heavy so check your trigger warnings. I will be thinking about these stories for a long time. Just beautiful!

An incredible collection of short stories. Kanza Javed has a beautiful writing voice and her imagery is lifelike. I feel like this ARC approval came to me at just the right time, as I recently moved away from my hometown. While it’s not as large of a move as going from Pakistan to America, the themes of homesickness and loneliness really hit hard for me. I struggled with parts of the short stories due to the usage of foreign language throughout. I don’t really think there’s a solution to this because it’s a representation of the author’s relationship with her home country, but I felt like I was missing out at times. I recommend all readers familiarize themselves with possible triggers within the book as there is mention of child sexual assault, violence against women, animal abuse, depression, and suicide.

This book is dizzying and deliberate. I loved many of the stories and understand why its title makes reference to fire. I’m so grateful that short story collections like this exist to remind me of the beauty to be found in a fraction of someone’s life. This was really entertaining, the only story I couldn’t read was the one with the father who shoots dogs.

"What Remains After A Fire" is a captivating collection of stories from told from eight different perspectives from people from both Pakistan and the diaspora in the US. It is very stylistically unique and presents the truth of living life as a minority in a place that does not welcome you with the only alternative being living in a place that accepts you only within strict guidelines. This truth is presented without sweetener, but each story is also a tale of resilience. These characters are powerfully written and diverse in personality.

I think that fans of "The Gangster We Are All Looking Fo" by Lê Thị Diễm Thúy would like this; there are definitely similar themes. Both would be good picks to compare the stories of minorities in the US and to broaden horizons. I cannot express how important it is to diversity your reading, and this is a perfect book for it.

Thank you to NetGalley, W. W. Norton & Company, and Kanza Javed for allowing me to read "What Remains After A Fire" in exchange for an honest review.

Each story got better and better with lovely prose and character depth. Full of important themes that makes the reader think. If you are looking for happy endings, you will not find many, but somehow there is still hope and warmth amidst the hard, dark truths of these compelling stories.

This is an incredible collection of stories that delve into the darkest and truest parts of life on the margins of society as an immigrant, woman, child, as well as broader commentary of life in both modern day Pakistan and the Pakistani diaspora. I could not recommend this more!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc. All opinions are my own.

Wow. What an exquisitely powerful and moving collection of stories revolving around the themes of death and grief. What Remains After a Fire is a collection of stories about grieving and loss. I was immediately captivated by Kanza’s powerful messages and sense of imagery. I absolutely adored every story. Each character and story provided a window into central themes of what it means to belong to yourself and be true to your own life. I found this book to be incredibly moving and inspiring. This book was an incredible experience from start to finish.

I would caution readers only to make sure they read the summary as some of the themes in the book are quite heavy, so it is ideal to know that these will be addressed when going into the novel. There are themes of suicide and depression so please take this recommendation accordingly.

I am extremely excited to visit her other work and hope for more in the future!