Fatima Bhutto’s debut novel is a thought-provoking story, taking place in a troubled region of Pakistan bordering Afghanistan. The Shadow of the Crescent Moon is the tale of three brothers in the dangerous city of Mir Ali. It takes place over the course of a single day, with flashbacks to the past, filling in clues over time.

Bhutto is related to the well-known Bhutto family and has herself been victim to Pakistan’s tumultuous political and religious tragedies. She writes in present-tense about a very real nation in conflict, but with fictional characters. Using the time of day instead of chapters, she writes with emotions and details unfolding over the passing hours and minutes. Recently interviewed on NPR, Bhutto describes the region she writes of as divided from the rest of the country, suffering from military and militia attacks and where “violence is ordinary”. The people of Mir Ali identify strongly with their own region and feel at odds from the rest of Pakistan, distrustful of the central government and outsiders alike.