Spanning five generations from 1870 to 2013, this fascinating saga begins in a small village in colonial India and ends in modern-day New York City. Each chapter unfurls both an individual story and part of an epic family history.Jani’s prose is visually rich and poetically weaves characters’ tales with intense, lyrical details. From British colonial rule in India, to Pakistan’s chaotic democracy, to 21st century America, inquisitive readers will adore this multi-dimensional cultural journey.We first meet Fakir, a fatherless child who becomes a mystical storyteller, then an unlikely entrepreneur. Runaway teen Alam reinvents himself as an art teacher and womanizer over his adventures. Ambitious Ali Gohar journeys from Pakistan to attend NYU, while Jani grows up enduring racial tensions in 1980s Sindh before pursuing the “American Dream.” Finally, young physician Kabeer gives up a lucrative U.S. career to volunteer overseas, only to get swept back to his homeland by devastating floods.Spanning continents and colourful personalities, Those Trees Outlived Them is an intimate look at one family’s roots across borders and generations.
