Tariq Mehmood Livres

Book one in the STRIKER series. A topical tale of two Muslin schoolgirls in search of belonging and their attempt to come to terms with religious and social identity. Set against a backdrop of seething Islamaphobia.

A complex, vibrant novel about a man in extremis, and the forces that drive him to the ultimate act of desperation A suicide bombing is being planned in Manchester, and Saleem Khan, an atheist, seventy years of age, is carrying the bomb. Also concealed on his person is a cache of vivid, haunting memories – some of regret and yearning, some humorous, others over-shadowed by the brutality of war. Award-winning novelist Tariq Mehmood plunges the reader into the dizzying saga of Saleem’s incendiary history. In the 1960s, he left his lover, his job as a teacher and his home in rural Pakistan and emigrated to Bradford, a town crackling with racism. He found a job in a mill on an all-Asian night shift. He became an active trade unionist and later, when the mills closed down, drove a taxi. But inevitably he is impelled to return to Pakistan. From Pakistan, Saleem is drawn across the border into the killing fields of Afghanistan. Among Russian soldiers and the holy warriors of the Mujahadeen, he meets Gulzarina, the woman whose life and experiences promise to make sense of Saleem’s own tortuous history.

In a gripping narrative, Saleem Khan reflects on his life from rural Pakistan to the racism of Bradford. He navigates love, loss, and cultural identity while becoming a trade unionist and taxi driver. A return to Pakistan leads him to the chaos of Afghanistan, where he meets Gulzarina, who helps him understand his tumultuous journey.

One brother goes missing in action in Afghanistan, the other falls in love with an Afghan girl in England. Bitter divisions engulf an English town where young Muslims oppose the British army's presence in Afghanistan, whilst white youth condemn the Muslims as traitors. To the disgust of his white friends, 17-year-old Jake Marlesden, whose brother is missing in action in Afghanistan, is in love with Leila Khan, an Afghan. When Jake tries to find out what happened to his brother, neighbour turns against neighbour and lover against lover. Leila joins young Muslims protesting against the returning bodies of dead British soldiers, and Jake stands with the families of the soldiers. The lovers fall apart. But far off events, and sinister forces at home, bring the lovers together again in a journey in which they will not only discover themselves, but also heal the wounds of their families and friends. You're Not Here is the sequel to the award-winning novel You're Not Proper.