The House of Djinn

Shabanu has been in hiding from her murderous brother-in-law for ten years. The only way to protect her daughter, Muti, from this villain is to continue to feign her own death. Muti, who believes her mother is dead, is sent to live with her father's family in Lahore, Pakistan so that she can attend school. Living in a large family compound believed to be haunted by Djinn and run by a jealous, mean-spirited aunt, Muti is protected from the worst of Leyla's enmity by her kindly uncle Omar and beloved grandfather Baba. Leyla incessantly persecutes the girl under the radar of Baba, the leader of the Amirzal tribe of Pakistan. Muti describes this treatment to her cousin and confidant, Jameel, as "death by a thousand pinpricks." Jameel comes from San Francisco to spend summers with his grandfather. At fifteen, both young people have been devoted friends since Muti's arrival at the compund when she was five. In a story filled with venality, betrayal and strong familial love, the author explores the clash of modernity with traditional Pakistani culture in the lives of two appealing young people. Staples, who understands both the conflict of cultures and the conflict of emotions of the young protagonists very well, also allows mysticism to play a role in this eloquent, wonderfully compelling novel.