Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The World Unseen | 2001 | Shamim Sarif | Buy |
| 2 | Despite The Falling Snow | 2003 | Shamim Sarif | Buy |
| 3 | I Can’t Think Straight | 2008 | Shamim Sarif | Buy |
Shamim Sarif’s standalone novels explore relationships that push against the boundaries of the worlds they inhabit. The World Unseen is set in 1950s South Africa during apartheid, following two women whose friendship becomes something deeper. Despite The Falling Snow moves between Cold War Moscow and modern-day America, tracing the consequences of secrets kept across decades.
I Can’t Think Straight follows a woman from a wealthy Jordanian family who falls for a British-Indian woman, forcing both to confront family expectations and their own desires. Sarif adapted both The World Unseen and I Can’t Think Straight into films, making her one of the few authors who has directed screen versions of her own novels.