The Reluctant Mother

‘Not just for women, Zehra Naqvi’s emotional and moving storytelling is an essential read for men, too.’  — Yasser Usman, TV journalist and author

‘A tale of love, heartbreak, and redemption. Must-read!’ — Debeshi Gooptu Bakshi, author

‘Honest, humorous, and heartwarming.’ — Milan Vohra, author

‘. . . a voice that is well worth listening to.’ — Dr Rakhshanda Jalil, writer and literary historian

‘Is it my voice? Is it her voice? Or is it our voice? Zehra Naqvi speaks for every woman in The Reluctant Mother. Not everything is hunky-dory after the pregnancy test or pink and blue balloons and booties after motherdom. There’s reluctance to become a mother in the event of an unplanned pregnancy and post-partum depression after birth. Every relationship is tested, trying to adjust and adapt to the little one. All this and much more is captured by Naqvi, and I could feel my tears well up at many places remembering my own days as a new mother and the trials and joys it brought.’ — Rana Safvi, historian and author

‘Love doesn’t always have to be gushy; it can be prickly and it can hurt. Zehra writes definitively about the two different loves of her life—her husband and her child—and how the line between them doesn’t blur. It’s refreshing to read a story of a reluctant mother, one who doesn’t subscribe to motherhood as an exalted state of being. Motherhood is exhausting and life changing and not always a blessing. It takes courage to put that out into the open.’ — Andaleeb Wajid, author

‘A realistic and poignant story about a young woman’s journey through the rites of passage. A tale of love, heartbreak, and redemption. Must-read!’ — Debeshi Gooptu Bakshi, author

‘This is every mother’s worst nightmare and every mother’s dearest moments. This is us.’ — Nazia Erum, author