#091 Critique of the first 3000 words of your novel from Osman Haneef + a copy of his novel

Osman Haneef is an author who has studied creative writing at a number of institutuons, including Stanford, Curtis Brown Creative, and the Faber Academy. His writing has appeared in Dawn, Scroll India, Kitaab, and the Yale Journal of International Affairs. He won the Frank Allen Bullock Prize for creative writing at the University of Oxford and his debut novel, Blasphemy:The Trial of Danesh Masih, has been longlisted for the PFC Valley of Words award in India.

Instagram, twitter: @ohaneef

Description of the novel, Blasphemy:

The Trial of Danesh Masih: A Christian boy in Pakistan is accused of blasphemy―a crime punishable by death. Haunted by a tragic past, a young lawyer, Sikander Ghaznavi, returns to Pakistan and takes on the defence of the boy. Out of his depth, Sikander reaches out to the sharpest human rights lawyer he knows―the woman he has loved for years, but now another man’s wife. As they deal with their unresolved feelings, the lawyers confront a corrupt system, a town turned against them, and a prophecy that predicts their death. Will they save the boy? Or will the city of Quetta, its prejudice inflamed by religious extremists, consume them and deliver them to a deadly fate? The book explores the amorphous role of religion and class in society, and themes of loss, redemption, and love.

'Instantly reminds readers of Harper Lee's unforgettable novel To Kill a Mockingbird.' —The News on Sunday

'The story has elements of politics, law and romance which makes it a thrilling read.' —The Times of India