Rare and wondrous. This is a collection where the dust and swirling clouds of an entire galaxy are distilled into the pages of short stories. Crafted and essential, these stories sing.--Kali Fajardo-Anstine, best-selling author of Sabrina & Corina and Woman of Light

What Remains After a Fire blazes with righteous indignation at the plight of its varied characters, victims of poverty, superstition, prejudice, and religious traditions in both Pakistan and America. With an unflinching but compassionate gaze, Kanza Javed crafts stories that are disturbing and heartbreaking. A wonderful debut collection that establishes Javed as a writer to watch.--Thrity Umrigar, best-selling author of The Space Between Us and Honor

Vivid and mesmerizing, this is a collection filled with beautifully wrought stories and characters who will stay with you long after you finish. Kanza Javed reveals the loss and longing of layered lives with gorgeous prose and acute observations about the human condition. A magnificent debut collection that is powerful and deeply moving.--Marjan Kamali, bestselling author of The Lion Women of Tehran

An unflinching look at the lives of Pakistani women, both at home and in America...the tales they tell are heartbreaking, brimful of dark truths and pain.--Eithne Farry "Daily Mail"

This collection is one to be admired....[T]hese stories uplift the idea that we will all come upon an opportunity to be purified, whether in life or death. Skillfully drawn, often heartbreaking reckonings.-- "Kirkus Reviews"

What Remains After a Fire haunts in the best possible way, drawing us into the intimate conflicts, fleeting joys, and profound loneliness of the human experience with deft, beautiful prose. From Lahore to Maryland, the stories in this stunning debut collection demonstrate Kanza Javed's rare insight and talent.--Uche Okonkwo, author of A Kind of Madness

A visceral and melancholic collection, surrendering to that liminal space of exile--both physical and emotional. With prose taut yet evocative, Kanza Javed pulls at the seams of her labyrinthine characters, often revealing the dark interiors of the human heart. These stories will stay with me for a long time.--Aanchal Malhotra, author of The Book of Everlasting Things

Nuanced....[A]n impressive outing.-- "Publishers Weekly"

Loss, betrayal, regret, and grief--yet something remains: wisdom, the possibility of new beginnings, and the desire to tell stories.--Oindrila Mukherjee, author of The Dream Builders

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Pub date: 2025-09-23

Length: 240 pages