Sirens of Memory

Twenty-five years ago, Mariam escaped the Gulf War by becoming someone else.Pregnant and desperate to flee an abusive marriage, Mariam leaves her husband just as Iraqi forces invade Kuwait in 1990. But leaving her husband, Tareq, is only the beginning. Trapped in a country at war, she takes refuge in a camp, waiting for a way out as the world she knew collapses around her.There she meets Raj, an Indian widower who offers her an extraordinary way out: assume the identity of his dead wife and leave Kuwait with him.What begins as a desperate bargain becomes something neither of them expected. Mariam and Raj build a new life together and raise a family. Over the years, the identity Mariam borrowed becomes inseparable from the woman she has become.But the past she left in Kuwait isn’t as dead as she believes.Tareq survived the war. Mariam has no idea.When she attends a commemoration of Kuwait’s liberation, the life Mariam has carefully built is set on a collision course with the one she left behind. As the past begins closing in, she is forced to reckon with the secret at the foundation of her new life, the identity she has carried for decades, and the man she once risked everything to escape.Because surviving one life required Mariam to become someone else. Surviving what comes next will require her to decide who she really is.'An absorbing, well-crafted choice for fans of global thrillers, Mariam’s story is a dangerous journey to empowerment.' -Booklist'Guha writes with authority and grace, intrepidly tackling life’s harshest realities and warmest hopes in this tour-de-force thriller.' -Jamie Mason, author of Hidden Things'A gripping psychological thriller about the real horror that can come from the people you let in while also hitting the sweet spot between page turner and searing authenticity.' -Mike McCrary, author of RELENTLESS'Fans of multicultural suspense and stories of women reclaiming their power should enjoy this unique and vivid journey.' -Andrea Bartz, author of The Herd