The Clinging Thing

The Clinging Thing by Munira Tabassum Ahmed tells the story of Iqra, who desires to be a good daughter, sister, woman, and mother.

It has been made clear to her that people owe their lives to one another—whether it’s the driver who slows to a stop when she notices a jaywalker, or the roller-coaster operator who spots an improperly fastened harness. Iqra’s mother, who raised her, and the mother before her, who tried to stop the blood, form part of this intricate web of connection.

After the loss of a pregnancy, Iqra returns to her mother’s home in the place where she grew up. The past is porous, her recollections fail her, and yet she is suffocating with memory.

A couple of hours out of the city, Seam River pulls Iqra back into a state of bewilderment. She returns to the stories of her parents and all the women before her, as dreams, memories, the uncertain, and the impossible converge. The future refuses to take form, and yet she finds wonder.