Book Description
Two generations of a Muslim Indian family grapple with what parts of life we control and what we must humbly accept in pursuit of the American dream—for readers of Min Jin Lee, Mohsin Hamid, and Ayad Akhtar
In suburban Miami, sixty-year-old Sakeena—co-owner of a Dunkin’ franchise along with her husband, Ramzan—has nine months to live unless she consents to an organ transplant. Thirty years ago, at Ramzan’s behest, she left her beloved Rawalpindi, India, for the United States. In the years that followed, she compromised her belief in naseeb, the Muslim notion of destiny, and acquiesced to fertility treatments. This time, she is adamant that she should live as intended—without medical intervention. As her health deteriorates, Ramzan desperately seeks to reunite their grown children with the hope of convincing Sakeena to extend her life.
But there are complications. Eldest daughter Fareen is consumed by an important business deal that, if successful, will land her a highly desired (and lucrative) promotion. Meanwhile, youngest son Adnan is living abroad and unable to return to the States due to his own unscrupulous business practices, a pattern stretching back to his adolescence. If they have any hope of saving their mother’s life, the siblings must take extraordinary action to wrestle with their life choices, actions that reveal the always-present tension between ambition and fate.
Brought to life by prose that captures the spirit of contemporary Miami as effortlessly as it conveys the challenges of running a Dunkin’ franchise, Abundance is a beautiful, moving read from an exciting new American voice.
Praise For This Book
People, A Most Anticipated Book of the YearLiterary Hub, A Most Anticipated Book of the Year
"An indelible portrait of family dynamics and the interplay between business and life." —Lizz Schumer, People
"This debut novel has most all of my favorite ingredients. We have an epic, multigenerational family story, imbued with a strong sense of place and philosophically specific characters. Check, check, check." —Brittany K. Allen, Literary Hub
"In his sweeping, magisterial debut, Hafeez Lakhani chronicles how the cultural crosswinds in one family’s journey may have life or death consequences. Abundance is an epic, multi-generational novel of hope, ambition and regret, but mostly one of love, and how the complex histories that bind us are what matter. A brilliant achievement, deeply engrossing from the first page to the last." —Kate Walbert, National Book Award Finalist and bestselling author of A Short History of Women
“Hafeez Lakhani’s Abundance is itself abundant—rich in knowledge and feeling from beginning to end. Toggling between Miami and New York and clear across the world, it is about the world of finance, both shady and above board, and about the tensions between commerce and making art. It asks important questions about autonomy and fate while bringing to life a far-flung family. It’s a big book with a big heart.” —Joshua Henkin, author of Morningside Heights
"Hafeez Lakhani’s novel, Abundance is filled with a rare kind of intimacy that casts a tender, and often heartbreaking light on the relationships that matter most to us. Here is an indelible portrait of a family that you will know as well as your own, and an unsparing and honest account of what it might take to live and survive in America today." —Dinaw Megestu, author of Someone Like Us
“Hafeez Lakhani boldly explores fate and religion and ambition and disappointment, but it strikes me that he is particularly interested in the life of families. Abundance is a remarkable, keenly observed novel about one family—their Indian past, their American present, and an uncertain future they are all trying to figure out together. Lakhani writes with great care and sensitivity about parents raising children, children becoming adults, and the beauty, the sadness, and the possibility of it all.” —Sameer Pandya, author of Our Beautiful Boys
"How beautifully, wisely, and immersively Hafeez Lakhani writes about the profound sacrifices we endure—and the joys we strive for—when we set out to make a family and a home. This story broke my heart and then made it wonderfully whole again." —Julia Glass, National Book Award–winning author of Vigil Harbor and Three Junes
"Beautifully written and paced, Abundance reveals the inner workings of Dunkin' franchises, global finance, and how fake stuff is sold, but really, it's the compelling story of a mother whose health crisis calls a family back home. But what is home?" —Helen Klein Ross, author of The Latecomers
