Review: Things She Could Never Have

Tehmina Khan has done something amazing: a compilation of stories of the most rejected and hated among Pakistani society. In Things She Could Never Have readers travel from Karachi to Toronto and back again, with brief stops in Andalusia, Madrid and more. We watch with avid fascination as the ugly reality of the world is peeled back, layer upon layer.

The collection is anchored by the story that bears its name, a love story between two transgender women in Karachi, caught in the middle of a terrorist attack. Yet the terrorism is not the story, but their love and devotion towards each other. Other stories are equally startling: a young woman leaves the safety of her Toronto home to join ISIS in Born on the First of July; a couple of young men travel from Toronto to Karachi for some “back home” fun but are caught in the cross hairs of fate; young women in Lahore share their sexual exploits but are torn back to reality.

Khan’s writing is spectacular, and her characters rich even within the confines of a short story collection. She weaves tales of those whom society has forgotten, or perhaps never knew existed. She talks about things we’d rather sweep under the rug: transgender discrimination, sex abuse, violence on women and children. Yet Things She Could Never Have is anything but depressing. There is laughter as well as sadness, joy along with grief. And much drama.

A must read for readers who want to see the underbelly of Pakistani society and its diaspora. Things She Could Never Have is available on Amazon .