Mirza Waheed on writing beyond the radicalisation story: Southasia Review of Books #40

What does it mean to reckon with loss when there are no clear answers? In Maryam & Son, Mirza Waheed explores that question through the story of Maryam Ali, a mother in London whose son disappears and is drawn into a distant conflict in Iraq. As she waits for answers, the novel moves between memory and grief, tracing what happens when the certainties of motherhood begin to unravel and private grief collides with public narratives. Waheed is the author of four acclaimed novels, including The Collaborator, The Book of Gold Leaves and Tell Her Everything. His work has been widely recognised for its explorations of conflict, memory and belonging, particularly in relation to Kashmir. In this episode of the Southasia Review of Books podcast, Waheed discusses his new novel, the language of bureaucracy and surveillance, motherhood, and the ways in which the media transforms deeply personal tragedies into public spectacle. This episode is now available on Youtube: https://youtu.be/kQZ-GZvH1jQ✨ Thank you for listening to the Southasia Review of Books podcast from Himal Southasian. If you enjoyed this episode, please share, subscribe, rate and review the show on your favourite podcast apps.▶️ If you haven’t already, please subscribe to the Himal Southasian YouTube channel and help us spread the word by sharing these conversations widely.✉️ We’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment on YouTube or write to us at [email protected].📚 Sign up for the Southasia Review of Books newsletter for a roundup of our latest reviews, essays, interviews and literary news from across Southasia: https://www.himalmag.com/newsletters/ 🙏🏼 If you’d like to support our work, please consider becoming a Himal Patron to help make conversations like this possible and sustain our work throughout the year: https://www.himalmag.com/#/portal