Hastie Salih
Author of contemporary, women's and LGBTQ fiction
New Release
The Cradle and the Cage
Yasmine has spent her life piecing together fragmented stories of her homeland, Kurdistan—half-truths and evasions from her mother, the only remaining link to a past shrouded in silence.
Her father died long ago in a car accident, or so she was told. But the gaps in her family’s history have always felt deliberate, like a puzzle with missing pieces. Determined to uncover the truth, she embarks on her first journey to Kurdistan.
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What awaits her is far from the homecoming she imagined. An embittered uncle shatters the narrative she grew up with. As Yasmine struggles to navigate the weight of her discoveries, she finds an unexpected bond with Tara, an Iranian-Kurdish sex worker whose life hangs in a fragile balance. In a land where past and present collide, Yasmine is forced to confront not just her own identity, but the harsh realities faced by those who have been silenced for too long.
The Cradle and the Cage is a haunting and powerful exploration of heritage, identity, and the meaning of family, set against the backdrop of a region where history is both an inheritance and a battleground.
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Reviews
"Absolutely devoured this book (...) Dahlia is an interesting character with a lot going on in her current life, as well as memories of her old life in Iraq. I loved the relationship between Dahlia and Carys and the journey they went on and how they both helped to heal each other from their old lives."
- E J Cook
"Wow! What a story. I loved this book. It is beautifully written, emotive and engaging. The author covers many themes in a sensitive and thought provoking way, whilst simultaneously engrossing the reader in the developing relationship with the characters. Highly recommended read."
- Amazon Review
"Dahlia and Carys is a story of love and danger. Love of country, culture, family and each other, and the dangers inherent in each of these aspects of love. Hastie Salih never plunges the reader headlong into her character's experiences, but rather waits with them as time and tension build. It as if the writer, the reader and the characters are moving through time at the same pace."