This Is Where the Serpent Lives

“The magic in This Is Where the Serpent Lives is the up-close work. Mueenuddin makes the reader care about the romantic relationships, and the pages turn themselves. . . . It’s a serious book that you’ll be hearing about again when the shortlists for the big literary prizes are announced.” —The New York Times

“Mr. Mueenuddin’s characters are vividly drawn, and though his prose is spare, it also offers phrases of great beauty. In these strengths, Mr. Mueenuddin recalls Anton Chekhov.” —The Wall Street Journal

“This Is Where the Serpent Lives maps an entire society in flux over six decades while presenting half a dozen portraits of contradictory, sympathetic, flawed, and utterly believable individuals. This subtle, wide-ranging, and enthralling novel makes some demands of its readers, but repays them in full.” —The Boston Globe

“This Is Where the Serpent Lives was worth the wait. . . . A many-splendored portrait of one of the most interesting and complex countries in the world, and a shining example of the very best in literature.” —The Washington Post

“Daniyal Mueenuddin returned with This Is Where the Serpent Lives, a masterful debut novel set in Pakistan. It begins in 1955 with an orphaned tea seller in the Rawalpindi bazaar, and expands to follow the ‘upstairs, downstairs’ lives of a wealthy family and the men and women who work for them. It is a startling and breathtaking work of fiction that will be remembered as a classic multigenerational epic.” —Esquire

“Stunning. . . . Mueenuddin, whose gift for satire shines whether he’s describing society matrons or gangsters, never loses sight of his theme: How do any of us ever manage to justify our treatment of the underserved?” —Los Angeles Times

“Mueenuddin has crafted a compelling and sweeping meditation on class and corruption in Pakistan.” –Vulture

“The setting in Mueenuddin’s debut novel—a modern Pakistan rife with corruption, feudalism and resilience—thrums with such vitality, it can feel like a character in its own right.” —NPR

“Spanning Pakistan’s bustling cities and feudal countryside, this sweeping novel follows three generations of unforgettable people as they grapple with tragedy and triumph, violence and love, and money and power. Absolutely gorgeous.” —People

“Following the lives of characters born with and without privilege, all attached to the estate of a wealthy colonel, and adorned with struggles of the heart, morality, and power, this promises to be one of the year’s seminal literary works.” —Book Riot

“Brutal, funny and brilliantly told. . . . This Is Where the Serpent Lives is set to be a standout novel of 2026.” —The Guardian

“This is Where the Serpent Lives is a sweeping parable of power and fortune, set in Pakistan but with universal application. . . . Mueenuddin is a sort of literary magician. . . . Expect to see this epic novel all over prize lists in 2026.” —The Times (London)

“There’s a poised, timeless quality to the masterful storytelling, which—travelling as it does between parched farms, opulent salons and the immensity of the Pakistani landscape—makes this feel at once like a classic.” —Daily Mail

“As close to flawless as possible, [This Is Where the Serpent Lives] is one of those novels that renew your faith in the possibilities of the genre. . . . A future classic, pure and simple.” —The Irish Times

“This is an exceptional novel. From the opening pages, I knew I held a masterpiece in my hands.” —Stevie Davies, Literary Review

“A potent and nuanced novel about the abuse of an underclass in ways both subtle and overt. . . . Mueenuddin delivers all this in a graceful style that dignifies the lower-caste characters and intensifies the unjustness of their treatment.” —Kirkus (starred review)

“The story threads cohere into a profound and revelatory portrait of Pakistan’s class divisions. Propulsive and peopled with unforgettable characters, this is a masterpiece.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Mueenuddin brilliantly exploits the narrative possibilities inherent in the tension between lower and upper classes throughout This Is Where the Serpent Lives. Like an actual serpent, this smart, satisfying novel coils and slithers along unpredictable, winding paths. Only the most prescient readers will be able to guess where it’s going and where it will end up.” —BookPage (starred review)

“Intricately layered. . . . Mueenuddin writes cinematically, examining and unraveling relationships with meticulous detail and stinging insights, spotlighting the grey areas between the impossible absolutes of right and wrong.” —Booklist

“Epic. . . . Spanning six decades, this finely textured generational saga probes with rich irony the power dynamics between Western-educated Pakistani elites and the deferential but shrewd underlings who manage their agricultural estates and serve their tea. . . . Crafted with elegant prose, Mueenuddin’s conclusions are infused with thrilling tension.” —Shelf Awareness