Daniyal Mueenuddin's first novel, This Is Where the Serpent Lives, is poised to be a standout work of 2026. The book, a chain of interlocking novellas, offers a shattering portrayal of Pakistani life across generations, exploring themes of power, class, and corruption with a blend of brutality and humour.
The story opens in a Rawalpindi bazaar in the 1950s, where a young boy named Yazid is abandoned and taken in by a tea stall owner. Raised by the stall's regulars, Yazid learns to read and becomes attuned to the currents of class and wealth. He grows into a clever, entrepreneurial teenager, befriending a scholarly boy named Zain and falling for his sister, Yasmin, with devastating consequences that force him into the service of an army colonel in Lahore.
The narrative then shifts to the countryside, where the colonel's nephew Rustom returns from America to revive his family's estate. His gentle, democratic instincts prove no match for local corruption and violence. In Lahore, he falls under the spell of his wealthy cousin Hisham, whose polished marriage to Shahnaz hides queasy truths. Yazid, now the couple's chauffeur, observes everything, as does Saquib, a poor village boy sponsored by Hisham and Shahnaz.
The final section focuses on Saquib, bringing the novel full circle with wit and brutality. Mueenuddin's writing is fluent and often funny, bringing the smells and tastes of Pakistan to life. The novel's list of characters may recall Dickens, but the portrayals are immediate and never confusing.
