House of Glass Hearts

by Leila Siddiqui

Overview

Maera and her ammi never talk about the Past, a place where they've banished their family's heartache and grief forever. They especially never mention the night Maera's older brother Asad disappeared from her naana's house in Karachi ten years ago. But when her grandfather dies and his derelict greenhouse appears in her backyard from thousands of miles away, Maera is forced to confront the horrors of her grandfather's past. To find out what happened to her brother, she must face the keepers of her family's secrets-the monsters that live inside her grandfather's mysterious house of glass.   

Seamlessly blending history with myth, HOUSE OF GLASS HEARTS follows a Pakistani-American teen's ruthless quest to find her missing sibling, even if the truth would reveal her grandfather's devastating secret and tear her family apart. In a narrative that switches between colonial India and present-day America, this ambitious debut explores how the horrors of the past continue to shape the lives of South Asians around the world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781949528763
Publisher:	Yali Books
Publication date:	09/30/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	226
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

Leila Siddiqui is a Chicago-born Texan who calls New York home. She currently works in publishing in the marketing department. Leila spent a childhood fascinated by history and horror, and how intricately both can be entwined, and now wants to write the kind of fantastical and strange fiction she loved to read growing up, by shedding light on pieces of history the rest of the world tends to forget or write off. She is a horror film devotee and when not writing, spends her time fawning over her very floofy cat. She lives with her partner in Queens.

Editorial Reviews

A genre-bending debut that highlights the intergenerational echoes of pivotal historical events.--Kirkus Reviews

In this moving tale of broken nations, families, friendships, and hearts, Leila Siddiqui shines light on the hidden past of post-WWII India and Pakistan. Rich with magic, mythology, and hope, the dual timelines of this story allow love to transcend time, mending and healing a family ravaged by a tragic past.--Lindsay K. Bandy, author of Nemesis and the Swan

Leila Siddiqui is utterly captivating in her debut, House of Glass Hearts, a lush and intricate tale weaving colonial India with the life of a present-day Pakistani-American teen. This vibrant story will ensnare you with its twists and turns as our heroine bravely fights for those she loves. There are haunting secrets dredged from the past and monsters that lurk within its very folds. I have no doubt this spellbinding story will lure you deep into India's magic and myth-and steal your heart along the way.--Christina Farley, author of the Gilded series

From the Publisher

2021-08-16
An old diary may be the key to unlocking the secrets of an ominous greenhouse.

When they were both children, Maera’s older brother, Asad, vanished overnight in their grandfather’s greenhouse during a family trip to Karachi. Ten years later, the Pakistani American teen—now a rising senior in high school—discovers her recently deceased grandfather’s diary under her pillow along with the astonishing sudden appearance of his greenhouse in her backyard in Virginia. To Maera’s frustration, her mother does not find the latter remarkable, insisting it’s always been there, and neither does her aunt, who arrives with Maera’s cousin Jimmy to settle the will. Jimmy, who can read Urdu, tries to find answers in the diary, which contains family history they’d never been told. Meanwhile, Maera enlists her friend Sara and neighbor Rob, who was Asad’s best friend, to help investigate. When all four enter the greenhouse, they discover a lush jungle, find a clue to Asad’s whereabouts, and encounter a demon spirit. The novel alternates between past and present, with scenes from Maera’s grandfather’s youth during World War II and the Partition offering clues to the greenhouse’s true nature. While the teenagers’ dialogue feels too young and the present-day storyline moves slowly, the historical elements are emotionally rich and impactful. Though some questions are never fully answered, the grief that permeates the story ultimately resolves into peaceful acceptance.

A genre-bending debut that highlights the intergenerational echoes of pivotal historical events. (author's note, further reading) (Fiction. 13-18)

Kirkus Reviews