Three years ago, I sold my kidney for a few cans of beans. I did it to save my brother, to save my family.

Saad T. Farooqi reaches beyond the established narratives of Pakistan — family sagas, magical realism, and immigrant stories — to create a post-apocalyptic world that reflects the rampant corruption, martial law, religious bigotry, and violent crimes familiar to any Pakistani.

Little fiction has been written from the perspective of apostates — until now.

Pakistan, 2083 AD.

Allah has burned the sky away. A mysterious snow falls over everything. Is it an endless winter? Is it the result of a nuclear exchange with India? A celestial impact? Now a barren wasteland, what little is left of Pakistan is heavily segregated along religious lines.

For Avaan, a gun in the hand feels as natural as breathing. An apostate pariah living under martial law and religious bigotry, violence has become a way of life. What respite he had from this terrifying world — his brother, his family, and Doua, the love of his life — was snatched away in military raids.

Now broken, Avaan finds himself involved in a civil war that poisons everything he’s ever believed in. The army shadows his every move, a mob boss wants him dead, and a legendary resistance leader has taken a keen interest in him. But there is a ray of hope: Avaan discovers that Doua is alive. Obsessed with finding her, he takes a stand against the army, the mob, and Pakistan itself with the only thing he has ever been able to count on: the gun in his hand.

Born in Saudi Arabia, Saad T. Farooqi moved to Pakistan before his first birthday. There, he survived three separate kidnapping attempts before he was eight. His family eventually settled in the United Arab Emirates. After initially enrolling in electrical engineering to please his parents, Saad graduated with a BA in English Literature from the American University of Sharjah. He then earned an MFA in Creative Writing from Kingston University, London. Saad immigrated to Canada in 2015 and resides in London, Ontario. At Kingston University, he studied under several notable authors, including Rachel Cusk and Elif Safak. His short stories and poems have appeared in various magazines in the US, UK, and UAE.

Saad T. Farooqi's profile page

“Pakistan’s historical treatment of religious minorities, including minority sects of Islam, makes the world Farooqi evokes feel all the more visceral – and horrifyingly possible. … White World is a gritty read that shocks, frightens, and challenges.”

Quill & Quire

“[Saad T. Farooqi] transports readers to late 21st century Pakistan, reaching beyond established narratives to create a unique speculative work that truly explores the most fraught and damaging aspects of the political climate in the country, eschewing more romantic ideas that have unpinned much of previous literature about this specific place.”

Open Book