Today I’m joining the blog tour for When The Fireflies Dance. My review is written with thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me on the tour and to the publisher for my copy of the book.

Blurb:

Even in the darkest moments, there is light to be found.

On the night that Lalloo’s brother is murdered, a large yellow moon hangs low in the sky above the family’s small hut on the outskirts of Lahore. Abandoned far from home only hours later, seven-year-old Lalloo will not see them again for a very long time.

Unable to escape the memory of that night, Lalloo’s parents and sisters remain trapped at the brickyard, the kiln chimney churning black smoke into the sky as they slave brick by brick to pay off their debts.

Now that he is older, Lalloo saves every rupee he earns in the city in the hope that he might one day be able to rescue his family. Yet as he falls in love with a girl he thought he’d lost forever, he realises that their freedom will only come with unimaginable sacrifice.

And as the fireflies dance overhead, Lalloo must finally choose his own destiny…

Inspired by a true story, this mesmerising debut novel of love, family, resilience and redemption will appeal to fans of modern classics The Kite Runner and The Beekeeper of Aleppo.

Review:

When The Fireflies Dance is a debut novel, but that does not mean in the slightest that it’s not accomplished. Aisha Hassan’s writing is absolutely beautiful and she took me to the streets of Pakistan within the first few pages, making me feel as though I was there even though I’ve never been to Pakistan before. 

Aisha Hassan tells us the story of Lalloo and his family in When The Fireflies Dance. She has developed all the characters brilliantly and I couldn’t help but feel the utmost sympathy for them and hope they would be able to leave the bhatti. I loved the relationships he had with his friends and the way they looked out for each other. In contrast, I was completely repulsed by Omer – he really made me skin crawl. I really wanted to know what would happen to these characters and I was invested in their stories the whole way through. 
We learn fairly early on in the novel that Lalloo and his family are grieving after the death of his brother. It is not immediately clear how this happened, and I love how the author builds this story up gradually throughout the novel. There is so much emotion in the story and it radiates from every page and made me feel connected to it. I was astonished to learn that When The Fireflies Dance is based on a true story and it will stay in my heart long after I finish reading

When The Fireflies Dance is available from Amazon.

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