What Remains After a Fire: Stories - Kanza Javed - ★★★★.½

AUTHOR: Kanza Javed

GENRE: Short Story Collection

PUBLICATION DATE: September 23, 2025

RATING: 4.4 stars.

In a Nutshell: An exceptional OwnVoices short story collection covering contemporary experiences of Pakistanis in their country and of the diaspora in the USA. Brilliant writing and memorable characters. A haunting kind of melancholic tone to every story. I don’t remember the last time I was so enraptured by a story collection. Much, much recommended!

This collection of eight stories is an OwnVoices work by Pakistani-American author Kanza Javed. The stories are set either in Pakistan or in the USA, and represent contemporary experiences of the citizens and/or the diaspora.

There is no introductory note specifying the unifying theme across these stories. But the blurb indicates that the stories focus on “fiercely resilient characters who desire more than what their circumstances can offer them—and what these desires ultimately cost them.” I cannot put it better! (For once, the blurb is not just accurate but also brilliant!)

When I read short story collections or anthologies, I usually read a story or two every day. But even with this spaced-out reading, I often find my attention dipping in the second half. Not this time, though. For the first time in ages, every single story of a collection kept me captivated to more or less the same measure. I never felt that the stories were dragging or that the mood was becoming monotonous or that the plots were getting repetitive.

These eight stories are written either in first person or third person, with one stellar entry using the second-person POV as well. The narrators of the stories are also not standardised. We have male as well as female narrators, senior citizens as well as young adults and children. The stories feature a variety of characters coming from different social backgrounds. Unlike what you would assume, not all of the stories are about Pakistani-Muslim experiences; a couple of the tales are from Pakistani-Christian characters.

Usually, with short fiction, we get a glimpse of the character’s present. Due to the constraint in word count, character development and world building is sometimes compromised in this genre. So I was pleasantly surprised to see the author excel at both. She is simply amazing at character detailing! While the tales focus on women and their forced submissiveness under the patriarchal society, many of the plots also highlight their inherent strength, their courage, and their will to surmount the odds. Not a single central character left me unaffected.

At 240 pages, this is quite a short book, but it packs volumes inside! The writing is so beautiful that I never felt like rushing through any story. (Heck, even the acknowledgement section is lyrical!) I just savoured the picturesque descriptions, the realistic character sketching, and the brooding atmosphere. The stories are melancholic without being melodramatic - that's quite an achievement! Even the setting feels visceral. Whether based in Pakistan or the USA, every story captures the ethos of both the countries accurately.

When I don’t find anything to complain about in short story collections, I usually look at the endings to see if I can do any nitpicking there. Even that didn’t work! Almost all the stories end at just the right point. I love that there are no forced HEAs here; they wouldn’t have suited the tone of the work anyway. Rather, every story culminates at a point where you can sit back and ponder on what you read and on what fate might have in store next for the character.

There are a couple of Urdu words here and there, but no glossary. This didn’t bother me much as Urdu is quite similar to Hindi. But perhaps a glossary might benefit international readers.

As always, I rated the stories individually. Of the eight stories, not a single one dipped below 3.5 stars! Not just that, half of the stories won all the stars from me. These are my favourites, with 4.5+ stars each.

🔥 Rani: With such a title (Rani means "queen" or "princess"), I thought this would be a happy story. But the title turned out to be ironic. What a beautiful portrayal of life choices and end-of-life regrets! Loved the writing as well as the character development. - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

🔥 It Will Follow You Home: This is beautiful, depressing, haunting. The use of the second person enhances the immersive experience. - 🌟🌟🌟🌟✨

🔥 Stray Things Do Not Carry a Soul: Oh, the irony of the title! I absolutely hated what happened in this story, but I absolutely love how the story was written. Rarely have I seen a first-person narrator creating dread and fury in me at the direction taken. Rarely have I felt so many emotions within so few pages. One of the best short stories I've ever read! (Trigger warning for animal assault. But it is not gratuitous and works for the plot.) - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

🔥 The Last Days of Bilquees Begum: Poignant. So much emotion and impact from a single story! - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

🔥 Ruby: There are so many things I want to say about this story, and yet, I don’t know how or where to begin. What a story to end the book with! Left me shell-shocked. - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Basically, this has been the best-performing story collection I have read in a long time. Be it the characters, the culture, the storylines, the writing, the vocabulary, the locations, the endings,… I can’t think of anything I could have changed. The whole collection is gritty, grounded, and simply brilliant! If this author pens anything else (and I sure hope she does for she is so talented!), I am going to read it for sure.

Much, much recommended to all short story fans looking for a genuine and well-written OwnVoices work from an underrepresented nation in the literary genre.

4.4 stars, based on the average of my ratings. (If you are familiar with my ratings, you know that an average that goes beyond 4 stars is outstanding for an anthology!) I will be rounding up my rating wherever applicable for the fabulous reading experience this has been from start to end.

My thanks to W. W. Norton & Company for providing the DRC of “What Remains After a Fire” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.