India United States

The Strangling Fig

Name: The Strangling Fig
ISBN: 978-0008753085

by Fauzia Musa

Motherhood Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Family Saga 2026

Summary

Spanning generations and continents, The Strangling Fig explores the lasting impact of grief, family secrets, and inherited trauma on the lives of women in one Muslim family.

Hyderabad, 1946: Ashraf is a young girl when her father is murdered on the eve of the Partition of British India. His death transforms her relationship with her mother, leaving Ashraf emotionally isolated and searching for the affection she can no longer find at home. As she grows older, the wounds of her childhood shape her choices in love, marriage, and motherhood, influencing her relationship with her own daughter.

California, 2002: Sixteen-year-old Seher feels abandoned by her mother and struggles to find a place for herself. When she begins seeing the ghost of her grandmother, Ashraf, she finds the guidance and emotional connection she has been missing. But as Seher becomes increasingly dependent on this supernatural presence, she discovers that the bond offers comfort at a troubling cost.

Moving between India and the United States, Musa weaves together the experiences of women separated by generations but connected by family history and unresolved pain. Blending family drama with elements of magical realism, the novel examines how loss and emotional wounds can be passed from mother to daughter—and whether understanding the past can help break the cycle.

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About the author

Fauzia Musa

Fauzia Musa is a British-based writer and brand strategist whose work explores identity, religion, culture, migration, and motherhood. Born in Mumbai and raised between London and Northern California, she grew up across different cultural environments, experiences that inform her interest in belonging and the complexities of family relationships. She currently lives in London. Before publishing her debut novel, Musa built a career in brand consulting, working with international companies including Apple, Google, and Lego. Alongside her consulting work, she developed an editorial practice writing about culture and design, contributing personal essays and articles to publications including The New York Times, The Times, Monocle, and The Independent. She has also pursued creative nonfiction studies at King’s College London. The Strangling Fig, published in 2026, is her first novel. The story began as a memoir inspired by Musa’s desire to understand the difficult relationships between the women in her own family. As she researched her family’s migration history following the Partition of India, the project evolved into fiction, combining personal questions about motherhood and daughterhood with the wider historical trauma of displacement. The resulting novel brings together historical fiction, family saga, and supernatural elements to explore how inherited grief shapes identity—and how confronting the past might make healing possible.

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Details

Published: 2026
Author: Fauzia Musa

The Strangling Fig

Summary

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