A Splintering

Shortlisted for the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards 2026 | A Radio 2 Book Club Pick

An unforgettable story of motherhood, obsession and ambition

In a village in rural Pakistan, Tara is waiting and watching. The smell of dung and dust hangs over her world. She is desperate to leave the petty life of the village and escape the iron grip of her violent, unpredictable brother. Marrying a middle-class accountant allows her to escape to the capital, but she soon finds that life as a respectable housewife is not sufficient either. She wants what the rich mothers at her children’s school have. She wants what their husbands have. Her desire for wealth and freedom becomes an obsession. But can she truly shake her past? And what of the menacing spectre of her brother, a reminder of the threads that tie her to the life she left behind?

Set against a hypnotic, oppressive backdrop of political violence and natural disaster, A Splintering traces the class struggle of a woman stuck between province and metropolis, between motherhood and ambition. Disquieting and utterly gripping, it is an extraordinary achievement by Dur e Aziz Amna, an exploration of a complex and unforgettable character who will risk everything to carve out a life of her own.

'Smart and gripping – I read it in one sitting. Tara is a glorious creation, crackling with life and aspiration and sensuality' -- Kamila Shamsie, author of Home Fire

'Captures the fetid backwaters of poverty that Tara loathes and the glittering, corrupting city life she wants to own... alive with psychological intricacy and beauty... a superb second novel' -- Mirzha Aheed, Guardian

'Amna is a witty and spiky writer and A Splintering is a blistering portrayal of a woman unwilling to accept life’s unfairness. Despite Tara’s greed and cruelty, her disdain for the restraints of her society is mesmerising. As her schemes to escape get wilder, you urge her on' -- Emily Lawford, Sunday Times