In the conflict-ridden heart of Jammu and Kashmir, a child is born during a citywide curfew—a baby girl named Arzoo. Her name means “desire,” and from the moment she takes her first breath, her life becomes a quest for love, belonging, and identity in a world that keeps pushing her away.
Arzoo is raised with love, but also with absence. Her father, a stoic police officer, believes in discipline over affection. Her mother, kind but powerless, can only watch as decisions about Arzoo’s life are made without her voice. At just six years old, Arzoo is sent away to live with distant relatives for the sake of education. What her parents see as opportunity, Arzoo feels as abandonment.
In a new town, among strangers, Arzoo learns to grow up fast. She survives heartbreak, bullying, and the ache of missing home. But just when loneliness seems unbearable, she discovers a bond stronger than blood—two school friends, Samaira and Inaya, who teach her the meaning of chosen family. Through secret letters, late-night whispers, and small acts of kindness, they become her strength when even her parents forget her.
But Arzoo’s struggles aren’t over. Each time she dares to feel safe, life uproots her again. Her return home brings more tears than healing, and her father’s silence cuts deeper than any words. Still, Arzoo doesn’t break. She transforms. With every goodbye, she grows wiser. With every heartbreak, she learns to love herself harder.
Arzoo: The Girl with a Desire is a soul-stirring, emotionally rich debut that captures the silent pain of being forgotten and the quiet power of perseverance. It is a coming-of-age story like no other—raw, real, and deeply moving.
In Arzoo, every reader will find a piece of themselves: the child who wanted to be seen, the friend who gave without asking for anything in return, and the fighter who never gave up on hope.