Things We Do Not Tell the People We Love
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- Create Date：2022-04-30 09:52:00
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Huma Qureshi
- ISBN：1529368693
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Summary
A collection about mothers and daughters， children lost， unborn， grown up， grown apart， and the dissonance between lovers。 It exposes the silences in families and the parts of ourselves we rarely reveal。 A daughter asks her mother to shut up， only to shut her up for good; an exhausted wife walks away from the husband who doesn’t understand her; on holiday， lovers no longer understand each other away from home。 The underlying themes of loneliness， secrets， family and displacement and also the desire to belong to someone， to some place; a yearning for love， intertwine these stories。 The collection includes The Jam Maker， which has just been awarded the Harper’s Bazaar Short Story Prize 2020。
Reviews
Chiana Spencer
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The writing is so good but I also just could not connect to any of the stories at all？？ Felt like there was no depth but so much potential
˗ˏˋ♡withlovewidad♡ˎˊ˗
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Some bits and pieces were cliche and some of the stories blurred together。 But man， oh man do I love a good womanhood/motherhood x religious/societal expectations storyline。 my heart ached for a few of the characters。
Lagan Maheshwari
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the best short story collection I've read！ the best short story collection I've read！ 。。。more
Imogen West
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I found the stories hard to relate to on any level and often unrealistic。 All had a very similar underlying theme which felt repetitive。I’m sure others would find them more enjoyable/relatable。
Varsha Ravi （between。bookends）
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‘Your touches were tiny， seemingly accidental - sometimes your fingers pressing the tips of mine as you wordlessly passed me a glass or a plate - but they cracked me open， like lightning across the sky。 Our star-crossed moments may have lasted only milliseconds， but they filled the whole of my small schoolgirl world and kept it turning， like shafts of dust dancing gold in a splinter of sunlight。’I picked up another title from the Jhalak Prize longlist 2022 and this too had me enthralled。 This is ‘Your touches were tiny， seemingly accidental - sometimes your fingers pressing the tips of mine as you wordlessly passed me a glass or a plate - but they cracked me open， like lightning across the sky。 Our star-crossed moments may have lasted only milliseconds， but they filled the whole of my small schoolgirl world and kept it turning， like shafts of dust dancing gold in a splinter of sunlight。’I picked up another title from the Jhalak Prize longlist 2022 and this too had me enthralled。 This is an incredibly solid collection of stories that explore the complexities hidden in the closest of relationships。 The title is apt in that it perfectly encapsulates the themes explored in these stories。 Another interesting touch is it mostly centres around Pakistani characters living in the UK。 I， being someone of Indian ethnicity living in Canada found some of the anecdotal experiences not all that disparate。 There is a sense relatability particularly in the way families， tradition and expectations from the older generations versus new were written。Not all the stories have tidy endings， but instead are almost slice of life。 It felt like seamlessly stepping into someone’s life and exiting just as inconspicuously。 I really enjoyed that aspect though I can see how it may not work for certain readers who may prefer short stories with definitive endings。 I found the writing fluid and every story compelling in its own way。 Though some stories were particularly strong， especially the opening one， there weren’t any duds which in itself is testament to a really good collection。 I would recommend this highly， particularly if you’ve enjoyed short stories written by Jhumpa Lahiri。 Stylistically and thematically， it felt very reminiscent。 。。。more
Ciara K
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An absolutely beautiful collection of stories。 From miscarriages to family tiffs to friendships falling apart， this collection has everything you could ever need。 It is exactly what the title says， things we do not tell the people we love。 This book explores the intimacies of our minds and the little things that we feel we cannot tell those that we love。 It explores and shows real pain， real emotions and there is something just so raw and beautiful about each and every story that just makes it s An absolutely beautiful collection of stories。 From miscarriages to family tiffs to friendships falling apart， this collection has everything you could ever need。 It is exactly what the title says， things we do not tell the people we love。 This book explores the intimacies of our minds and the little things that we feel we cannot tell those that we love。 It explores and shows real pain， real emotions and there is something just so raw and beautiful about each and every story that just makes it stick with you。 A collection I truly enjoyed and a beautifully designed book as well 。。。more
Tasnim Rahman
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The snippets we get into the lives， emotions and thoughts of characters through each story made it a beautiful journey in relating to many experiences and expressions of love presented in this book。 Huma Qureshi is a delightful writer and I can’t wait to read How We Met。 There are so many relatable emotions I was drawn towards - of emotional dependence， of miscommunication， of things unsaid and said， loneliness， companionship， regret， solitude and hope and so much more。 All the characters in eve The snippets we get into the lives， emotions and thoughts of characters through each story made it a beautiful journey in relating to many experiences and expressions of love presented in this book。 Huma Qureshi is a delightful writer and I can’t wait to read How We Met。 There are so many relatable emotions I was drawn towards - of emotional dependence， of miscommunication， of things unsaid and said， loneliness， companionship， regret， solitude and hope and so much more。 All the characters in every story is brought to love and not a single chapter was dull。 。。。more
Liv
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There is a gentleness to the way Qureshi writes， that is not to say these stories are not full of heartache and filled with fraught emotions， as they are， but the way she sweeps you under with the ease of her storytelling and keeps you reading is something I have come to love about Qureshi's writing。There is a simplicity to each of these stories that strips back the tales to the emotions， the human experiences， to family and life and makes them very realistic。 What I loved about Qureshi's memoir There is a gentleness to the way Qureshi writes， that is not to say these stories are not full of heartache and filled with fraught emotions， as they are， but the way she sweeps you under with the ease of her storytelling and keeps you reading is something I have come to love about Qureshi's writing。There is a simplicity to each of these stories that strips back the tales to the emotions， the human experiences， to family and life and makes them very realistic。 What I loved about Qureshi's memoir was how many moments I could connect with her and her experiences and here she brings to life all of those human points of connection again in the form of short stories。These stories are short and bittersweet， they tug at your heart strings。 Lots of them centre on the divisions， the rifts， the distance that forms in familial and romantic relationships and friendship。 How literally the things we do not say create divides so they're not necessarily always comfortable reads as they made my stomach clench in mild anxiety at the underlying tensions。Overall I enjoyed Qureshi's writing and will definitely come back for more from her。 Perhaps I did not love this collection as much as her memoir， but I still recommend as it's easy to turn the pages with Qureshi's writing。 。。。more
Aaron Aik
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Suggest for readers to read How We Met before picking up this collection of short stories。 A common theme across the stories are inspired by the author’s own life experiences。
Royce
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First， I must say that I would never have heard of the brilliant writer， Huma Qureshi， without reading a wonderful review of this collection of short stories by my goodreads’ friend， Paromjit。 Her review inspired me to read this book， so thank you， Paromjit。 Because I am not tech savvy， I have no idea how to properly thank her， so I will encourage my fellow readers to read this book。Reading these stories is like eating a champagne chocolate truffle。 The first bite is good， but then you take anot First， I must say that I would never have heard of the brilliant writer， Huma Qureshi， without reading a wonderful review of this collection of short stories by my goodreads’ friend， Paromjit。 Her review inspired me to read this book， so thank you， Paromjit。 Because I am not tech savvy， I have no idea how to properly thank her， so I will encourage my fellow readers to read this book。Reading these stories is like eating a champagne chocolate truffle。 The first bite is good， but then you take another bite and you know you are in chocolate nirvana，or in this case， you are immersed completely in the story。 She feeds you small details， slowly， one at a time， until you arrive at the end of the story and understand where she was taking you。 All of these stories are about family relationships between parents and children and intimate relationships between partners。 Here is a taste from one of my favorite stories in the collection， called The Jam Maker，” “There Is a moment when you open a pot of home-made jam for the first time and the lid pops and you inhale the sweetness of soft， leathery fruit， when what you smell is not merely sugar and lemon and berries but a memory， a fragment， captured in time。” Read this collection now， you will be tasting chocolate all day。 。。。more
Inez
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Power of word might be what makes a person who never felt lonely feel the loneliness of the characters。[Firecracker]It's the first time for every one of us to become a daughter/son， a mother/father， it's just so normal to do things wrong but not everybody knows the importance of listening， understanding， apologising， learning and changing。My mum should be the only person in the world I really got angry with in the past 24 years just because she lied to me and I could never forget the moment her Power of word might be what makes a person who never felt lonely feel the loneliness of the characters。[Firecracker]It's the first time for every one of us to become a daughter/son， a mother/father， it's just so normal to do things wrong but not everybody knows the importance of listening， understanding， apologising， learning and changing。My mum should be the only person in the world I really got angry with in the past 24 years just because she lied to me and I could never forget the moment her tears went down when I said 'if you claim that you did not use my personal stuff， then I'll call the police to see if there is burglary or larceny' and the moment she apologised for that after I said a hurtful sentence。Isn't that the most fantastic thing in the world: You grow with your parents。 ૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა 。。。more
Jennie
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A collection of short stories about relationships and love。 A beautiful style of writing which is both nostalgic and meaningful with deep inner monologues。
Hannah H
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An overrated book in my view， I thought the first few stories were brilliant but there were alot in there I though were meh 。
elvira
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goodreads te lo pido de rodillas pon la opción de poner medias estrellas por favor anyways ha estado chulo， escribe muy bien y bonito。 a ratos me ha parecido un poco simple y repetitivo， pero eso no lo hace menos disfrutable （aparte que no estaba buscando complejidad， para eso me voy al das kapital） y la portada。。。。q decirte q no sepas ya
Farzana
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Great set of short stories， which you will reflect on differently， everytime you read them。
Scott
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Each of these short stories about Pakistani women are mint。 They all left me with an overwhelming "but what happens next" feeling！ Definitely will be checking out more of her writing。 Each of these short stories about Pakistani women are mint。 They all left me with an overwhelming "but what happens next" feeling！ Definitely will be checking out more of her writing。 。。。more
Josna （fully fictional） ✨
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The violent speed w which I ordered this book is insane！！！
Maria
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An interesting read from a cultural perspective。 All the characters seem to have strayed away from their faith which is （according to my understanding） due to religious malpractice passed down from previous generations。 Old wives tales and superstitions mixed in with authentic Islamic practices is bound to send people running away。 However for me， the stories lacked real depth and were a bit cliché with all the name dropping of some of London's well known places。 An interesting read from a cultural perspective。 All the characters seem to have strayed away from their faith which is （according to my understanding） due to religious malpractice passed down from previous generations。 Old wives tales and superstitions mixed in with authentic Islamic practices is bound to send people running away。 However for me， the stories lacked real depth and were a bit cliché with all the name dropping of some of London's well known places。 。。。more
Julia Thomas
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Oh God 💔😭 I had to catch my breath so many times reading this。 A beautiful little collection。
Emily Noble
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I couldn’t put this book down。 ‘Firecracker’ and ‘Too much’ particularly shattered my heart and left me vowing to try to never be such a terrible daughter or friend。 I LOVED this book。 Qureshi writes characters so beautifully you are transported and left wondering what happened to them next。 I would honestly read her shopping lists。 This book is so well written the random stories of cranes， jam and yoga all lead to the overall message that sometimes it can be just too hard to say what you really I couldn’t put this book down。 ‘Firecracker’ and ‘Too much’ particularly shattered my heart and left me vowing to try to never be such a terrible daughter or friend。 I LOVED this book。 Qureshi writes characters so beautifully you are transported and left wondering what happened to them next。 I would honestly read her shopping lists。 This book is so well written the random stories of cranes， jam and yoga all lead to the overall message that sometimes it can be just too hard to say what you really want to say but oh how different the outcome would be if you could just say it。You should all read， truly stunning！！ 。。。more
Amy_sl
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Moving and thought provoking。 Delicate in its storytelling yet raw in emotion。 These stories will stay with me :）
BigTentBookClub
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You'll end up reflecting on all the things you don't tell your loved ones。。。 A collection of 10 short stories （10-25 pages each）， poignant but ultimately I found them to release me from the stress and burdensome guilt concerning what I don't tell my loved ones（！） It seems this is something we can all relate to。 A good read， and well-paced。 Yes， the stories seem to share central themes and tropes - I think borrowing heavily from the life of the author （working in magazines etc。）， but which author You'll end up reflecting on all the things you don't tell your loved ones。。。 A collection of 10 short stories （10-25 pages each）， poignant but ultimately I found them to release me from the stress and burdensome guilt concerning what I don't tell my loved ones（！） It seems this is something we can all relate to。 A good read， and well-paced。 Yes， the stories seem to share central themes and tropes - I think borrowing heavily from the life of the author （working in magazines etc。）， but which author is not culpable of that。 Easy reading definitely， and when the late-night brain starts to spin this is hard to put down。 Contains all the usual twists and turns one expects of short stories， and to the book's merit， after reading nine short stories I quite happily gobbled up the tenth。 I won't include any spoilers， but I found this reflective aid a good way to start a new year。 It's like grabbing poignancy by the stem and saying， 'it's ok that you exist。 I can grow to be more comfortable around you。' 。。。more
Hannah Laux
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The Things We Do Not Tell The People We Love is a collection of short stories which exposes some harsh realities in different relationships whether it be lovers， spouses or between mothers and daughters。I devoured this book within two sittings。 It was lyrical， emotionally complex and dragged me in despite the shortness of each story。 Huma Qureshi is the kind of writer you wish to be。 Her words are impactful， realistic and leave you wanting more。Romance is not something that interests me as I can The Things We Do Not Tell The People We Love is a collection of short stories which exposes some harsh realities in different relationships whether it be lovers， spouses or between mothers and daughters。I devoured this book within two sittings。 It was lyrical， emotionally complex and dragged me in despite the shortness of each story。 Huma Qureshi is the kind of writer you wish to be。 Her words are impactful， realistic and leave you wanting more。Romance is not something that interests me as I can't bear the cringe element or the obvious enemies to lovers。 So when I saw this labelled as a romance by some， I was sceptical。 However， it was everything I wanted。 The real， gritty and difficult side of relationships that you can resonate with and have you deeply invested in the characters。In particular my favourite stories were Firecracker， Too Much and The Jam Maker。 Each story is perceptive and shows the raw emotions of relationships and how they can be full of passion and turmoil at the same time。 This will be a book I will re-read again and that has truly become one of my favourite short stories already。 I implore you to read this book。 。。。more
Nathalie Hope
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✍🏼 REVIEW - THINGS WE DO NOT TELL THE PEOPLE WE LOVE BY HUMA QURESHI ✍🏼⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Qureshi has written a collection of short stories which so tenderly embrace the things ultimately left unsaid。 We have stories about:* being used and betrayed* navigating difficult mother daughter relationships* the slow acceptance of drifting from your best friend* being the child of a tense marriage* dealing with the grief of a secret lover* realising your partner is not who you thought they were* a mother being a ✍🏼 REVIEW - THINGS WE DO NOT TELL THE PEOPLE WE LOVE BY HUMA QURESHI ✍🏼⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Qureshi has written a collection of short stories which so tenderly embrace the things ultimately left unsaid。 We have stories about:* being used and betrayed* navigating difficult mother daughter relationships* the slow acceptance of drifting from your best friend* being the child of a tense marriage* dealing with the grief of a secret lover* realising your partner is not who you thought they were* a mother being abandoned by her daughter * realising you cannot stand your partner* longing for your partner to understand you and just make an effort* the pain of losing a babyI think everyone will find in one way or another a piece of this book with which they can relate， even if it is not in the same context。 Qureshi has so masterfully put into words the tiny little thoughts and feelings which， although can feel insignificant， can actually define your relationship with others。 There's something about this book that validates all of the things and feelings you feel like you should 'brush off'， but it does it in the most comforting way possible。I found myself really aching for some of the characters， especially the mum whose daughter had completely forgotten about her。 Sometimes the stories felt as though they could be blended into one， as if they were happening to the same person。 But also on that， it gives such a beautiful solidarity to the people who spend hours tormented by feelings they've been told just to forget。 It finally made the 'little things' amount to one big thing and gave them the weight they deserve。 So actually， it's not a criticism at all but rather a nice touch， intentional or not。 And on top of all of that， it's just so beautifully worded。 It's 100% a book I'll think of from time to time and more than deserving of my first 5 stars of 2022。 Plus can we talk about how beautiful the cover is？Have you read this？ 。。。more
Jillian Bassett
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Powerful collection of short stories。 Read it in one sitting。
Lulwa
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What a great way to start my reading challenge！ I loved every part of this book， genuinely。 I think it perfectly depicts the different relationships people have and all the in-betweens that follow these relationships。 The title perfectly suits what the book shows as well， all the unsaid between two individuals。 Huma’s style of writing is exceptional， she just makes reading feel so effortless and easy！
Zulekha Saqib
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‘she struggled to express the void she felt because there was no single point of drama that she could refer to in order to make some sense of it all， no individual trauma that had left her crudely damaged or explained why things were the way they were。 It was as though something between them had always been broken， that was all’ if only we had the courage to communicate with the most important people in our lives， maybe we would be more at peace with them and our own selves。
Sabaa
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Beautiful book， genuinely！
Katdakoo
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4。3 ⭐️ a lovely collection of bitter stories， stories that capture that off-tune， off-key friction of relationships that are wrong， have gone wrong， were never right。 Its a collection that accepts incomplete endings， the pain of open， unanswered questions， the lack of closure that keeps wounds open and hopeful。 My favourites in this collection were TOO MUCH and FIRECRACKER - the least successful， the one that rang false to me， was FOREIGN PARTS and oddly， the prize winning THE JAM MAKER， althoug 4。3 ⭐️ a lovely collection of bitter stories， stories that capture that off-tune， off-key friction of relationships that are wrong， have gone wrong， were never right。 Its a collection that accepts incomplete endings， the pain of open， unanswered questions， the lack of closure that keeps wounds open and hopeful。 My favourites in this collection were TOO MUCH and FIRECRACKER - the least successful， the one that rang false to me， was FOREIGN PARTS and oddly， the prize winning THE JAM MAKER， although i loved the yearning for the countryside and nature that it portrayed。 。。。more
Annie
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