The year is 1940, and the winds of change stir in the valley of Kashmir. Aafreen Khan is a young girl that dreams to be a doctor like her beloved grandfather, defying the boundaries of convention as a Muslim and a woman in a country rigged against her. But as the partition of India looms closer, Kashmir reels under the weight of greed and power, and Aafreen is swept into the whirlwind of a story much larger than her own. When love, loss, and revolution reshape her entire world, Aafreen learns the terrible truth of what it means to survive.
Flames of the Cherry TreeÊis a sweeping, intimate portrait of a young womanÕs coming-of-age against the backdrop of colonialism, rebellion, and the violent birth of todayÕs occupied Kashmir. At once tender and unflinching, it traces the story of one family through oppression and resistance, illuminating the forgotten histories that have shaped Kashmir and the hope that survives in its people.
A lyrical, unflinching novel that rebuilds Kashmir from beneath the rubble of empire Ñ a testament to the people who refused to disappear.
Ð Tariq Mehmood, author, The Second Coming
Light and tender yet deeply haunting, this luminous tale of friendship and love unfolds in Kashmir against the gathering darkness of partition and local political churnings, bearing witness to both the radiant beauty of young love and the unspeakable horrors unleashed when hatred fractures a subcontinent along religious lines.
Ð Anuradha Bhasin, Managing Editor of the Kashmir Times
A hauntingly beautiful tale of loss and resilience where the author masterfully weaves history with humanity. Tender, brave, and unforgettable.
ÑRumana Makhdoomi, author of Warriors and Falcons: Life Sketches of 100 Outstanding Kashmiri Doctors, Kashmir, British Raj, Partition of India, Coming of age, Social injustice, Medical education, Leena Khan| 9781998309658 | 226PAGES