Abundance

Sakeena is sixty, lives in suburban Miami, and co-owns a Dunkin' franchise with her husband, Ramzan. She has nine months left unless she agrees to an organ transplant, and she refuses. Three decades ago Ramzan persuaded her to leave her beloved Rawalpindi for the United States. Over the years since, she let go of her faith in naseeb, the Muslim idea of destiny, when she accepted fertility treatments. Now she wants to live, and die, as fate intended, without medical intervention.

As her health fails, Ramzan sets out to bring their grown children home, hoping they can talk their mother into extending her life. Neither is easy to summon. Fareen, the eldest daughter, is absorbed in a major business deal that could win her a coveted and well-paid promotion. Adnan, the youngest son, lives overseas and cannot come back to the States because of shady business dealings, a habit that goes back to his teenage years.

If the siblings want to save their mother, they will have to take drastic steps and face the choices they have made. Their struggle sets ambition against fate and asks how much of a life we shape ourselves and how much we must humbly accept, all within the pursuit of the American dream.

Lakhani's debut novel is set against a vivid contemporary Miami and the daily grind of running a Dunkin' franchise. It will appeal to readers of Min Jin Lee, Mohsin Hamid and Ayad Akhtar.