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Two generations of a Muslim Indian family grapple with what parts of life we control and what we must humbly accept in pursuit of the American dream--for readers of Min Jin Lee, Mohsin Hamid, and Ayad Akhtar.
In suburban Miami, sixty-year-old Sakeena—co-owner of a Dunkin' franchise along with her husband, Ramzan—has nine months to live unless she consents to an organ transplant. Thirty years ago, at Ramzan's behest, she left her beloved Rawalpindi, India, for the United States. In the years that followed, she compromised her belief in naseeb, the Muslim notion of destiny, and acquiesced to fertility treatments. This time, she is adamant that she should live as intended--without medical intervention. As her health deteriorates, Ramzan desperately seeks to reunite their grown children with the hope of convincing Sakeena to extend her life.
But there are complications. Eldest daughter Fareen is consumed by an important business deal that, if successful, will land her a highly desired (and lucrative) promotion. Meanwhile, youngest son Adnan is living abroad and unable to return to the States due to his own unscrupulous business practices, a pattern stretching back to his adolescence. If they have any hope of saving their mother's life, the siblings must take extraordinary action to wrestle with their life choices, actions that reveal the always-present tension between ambition and fate.
Brought to life by prose that captures the spirit of contemporary Miami as effortlessly as it conveys the challenges of running a Dunkin' franchise, Abundance is a beautiful, moving read from an exciting new American voice.
"Lakhani's perceptive debut follows the fates and fortunes of an Indian American family facing an impending loss...The bittersweet, character-driven narrative offers piercing insights into the meaning of fulfillment and the cost of success. This satisfies." —Publishers Weekly
"Lakhani skillfully inhabits each family member and delves into the past to explore how their relationships formed. He is especially good at showing how many family members have been gripped by the immigrant's drive to succeed, even if that drive leads to unhappiness...[T]his is a thoughtful and carefully constructed novel. A promising debut that clearly depicts both the rewards and the deep losses of American immigration." —Kirkus Reviews
"Themes of home, religion, immigration, and ambition are explored with care, and the pacing of this novel is nearly perfect. Lakhani expertly captures the beauty, tragedy, and, importantly, hope of two generations of an Indian American family trying to reach the distant abundance of the American dream. Bursting with tenderness and emotional intimacy, Lakhani's debut is perfect for fans of Min Jin Lee or Fatima Farheen Mirza." —Library Journal
"Lakhani poignantly presents a family struggling against the clock, seamlessly moving back and forth in time to reveal the individual backstories that clarify the quintet's scattered condition—geographically, yes, but more so emotionally. Lakhani presents an aching examination of longing and loss, wanting and suppressing, searching and reckoning." —Booklist
"Hafeez Lakhani's Abundance is itself abundant—rich in knowledge and feeling from beginning to end. Toggling between Miami and New York and clear across the world, it is about the world of finance, both shady and above board, and about the tensions between commerce and making art. It asks important questions about autonomy and fate while bringing to life a far-flung family. It's a big book with a big heart." —Joshua Henkin, author of Morningside Heights
"Hafeez Lakhani's novel, Abundance is filled with a rare kind of intimacy that casts a tender, and often heartbreaking light on the relationships that matter most to us. Here is an indelible portrait of a family that you will know as well as your own, and an unsparing and honest account of what it might take to live and survive in America today." —Dinaw Megestu, author of Someone Like Us
This information about Abundance was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Hafeez Lakhani was born in Hyderabad, India, and raised in suburban South Florida. His fiction and essays have appeared in Crazyhorse, Exposition Review, Salt Hill Journal, Tikkun, The Cortland Review, and The Southern Review, among other publications. He has received fellowships from PEN America and the Center for Fiction, has been recognized twice with a Notable Essay in Best American Essays, and has been nominated twice for a Pushcart Prize.
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