The Names He Gave Me
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Pub Date 3 Feb 2027 | Archive Date 15 Feb 2027
Mamoon Chowdry | Briar Lane Press
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Description
A man plants asparagus because he believes in three years from now. That's how long asparagus takes to give you it's first harvest.
On a quiet street in 2032 Massachusetts, Kaz Malik learns the neighbors' names, shovels their walks, and raises his children as if the ground they stand on belongs to them. He does everything right. It isn't enough. The family comes apart slowly - a government form, a knock at the door, a neighbor who stops waving. A daughter disappears. A father does not come home.
Thirty years later, the surviving daughter breaks her silence.
A debut literary novel about fatherhood, silence, and ordinary life that turns out not to be guaranteed. For readers of Never Let Me Go, Home Fire, and The Kite Runner.
95,000 words. Includes structural innovation (each chapter opens and closes with an intimate soliloquy addressed directly to the listener). Reading group guide available at briarlanepress.com. The author is available for book club video calls.
Reviews welcome on Goodreads immediately. Amazon reviews requested on publication day (February 3, 2027).
A Note From the Publisher
Advance Praise
"I don't write reviews but I'm writing one now. I cried four separate times. The last fifty pages I had to keep putting down and picking back up because it was too much." - Early reader
"Prize-level writing. Not in a flashy way. In a quiet, patient, devastating way." - Early reader
"I finished it and immediately called my dad. He picked up half asleep and asked what was wrong. Nothing was wrong. I just needed to hear his voice." - Early reader
Marketing Plan
Debut literary fiction launching February 3, 2027 via Briar Lane Press. Pre-launch campaign includes: Kirkus Indie review (submitted), BookLife Prize entry (submitted), ARC distribution via NetGalley and BookSprout, targeted outreach to 100 Bookstagram/BookTok/Goodreads reviewers, local Massachusetts bookstore events, podcast appearances (pitching December 2026), personal essay submissions to LitHub and Electric Literature, and a 5-post LinkedIn campaign leveraging the author's existing professional audience. Reading group guide available. Author available for book club video calls. Amazon KDP pre-order live. IngramSpark distribution enabled (55% discount, returns accepted).
Available Editions
| EDITION | Ebook |
| ISBN | 9798997433413 |
| PRICE | $9.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 372 |
Available on NetGalley
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Featured Reviews
Ronnica F, Reviewer
This book had me staying up late in tears. The truth of this American family slowly is revealed, as they are treated as more and more “other” for their family background. The mundanity of their everyday contrasts with how they are treated, and will have the empathetic question the role they may play in these dynamics in their own communities.
Readers who liked this book also liked:
John Ajvide Lindqvist; Marko Hautala; Steinar Bragi
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