'Written with raw emotional insight . . . What a spectacular triumph. This is the Afghan novel I have been eagerly waiting for' KHALED HOSSEINI, bestselling author of THE KITE RUNNER

'Brilliant. The best debut I've read in a very long time' MONICA ALI, bestselling author of LOVE MARRIAGE

Zorah Sharaf is her family's pride and joy.

Zorah Sharaf is bringing shame to her family.

What is the truth? It depends on who you ask.

Fleeing the horrors of war in Afghanistan, the Sharaf family resettles as refugees in Northern Virginia. After many years of hard work, the father has become a millionaire. Now they live in the most exclusive neighbourhood, their growing family attending the most prestigious schools. And Zorah, the eldest daughter, is the apple of her father's eye.

When Zorah dies in an unthinkable tragedy, the Sharafs are left reeling. But there is talk that the happy family was anything but, and soon the veneer of the model immigrant family starts to crumble.

And those who knew her best - and those who didn't know her at all - all have an opinion on who Zorah really was, and what really happened to her . . .

'A remarkable, unsettling snapshot of our complicated times' AMEER PANDYA, author of OUR BEAUTIFUL BOYS