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Chapters (52)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Epigraph
  4. The Trial
  5. Chapter One
  6. Chapter Two
  7. Chapter Three
  8. Chapter Four
  9. Chapter Five
  10. Chapter Six
  11. Chapter Seven
  12. Chapter Eight
  13. Chapter Nine
  14. Chapter Ten
  15. Chapter Eleven
  16. Chapter Twelve
  17. Chapter Thirteen
  18. Chapter Fourteen
  19. Chapter Fifteen
  20. Chapter Sixteen
  21. Chapter Seventeen
  22. Chapter Eighteen
  23. Chapter Nineteen
  24. Chapter Twenty
  25. Chapter Twenty-One
  26. Chapter Twenty-Two
  27. Chapter Twenty-Three
  28. Chapter Twenty-Four
  29. Chapter Twenty-Five
  30. Chapter Twenty-Six
  31. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  32. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  33. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  34. Chapter Thirty
  35. Chapter Thirty-One
  36. Chapter Thirty-Two
  37. Chapter Thirty-Three
  38. Chapter Thirty-Four
  39. Chapter Thirty-Five
  40. Chapter Thirty-Six
  41. Chapter Thirty-Seven
  42. Chapter Thirty-Eight
  43. A Parting Riddle
  44. Glossary
  45. Acknowledgments
  46. About the Author
  47. Author’s Note
  48. Author Q&A
  49. For Further Discussion
  50. Also by CamCat Books
  51. Shadows Over London
  52. CamCat Books

To all the friends I've loved and lost over the years: I remember you. Thank you for the memories. I still think of them so fondly.

To Sabaa Tahir, for being such an inspiration to me as a Pakistani and Muslim. Representation matters. To Nafiza Azad and Shveta Thakrar for the kind words in your blurbs and for being such inspirations to me.

Lastly, thank you to the readers, to each and every one of you who picked up this book. This is especially for the Pakistani kids, the brown kids, and the Muslims kids: I hope you felt seen and continue to feel seen. I’m with you. I see you. I hope for a brief period of time, I was able to help you escape the madness of this world and transport you somewhere that is inspired by a country so dear to me with characters pulled from my heart. I hope, too, that you will always choose kindness.

If you can, spare a prayer for me.

About the Author

Aamna Qureshi is a Pakistani, Muslim American who adores words. She grew up in a very loud household, parents surrounded by English (for school), Urdu (for conversation), and Punjabi (for emotion). Through her writing, she wishes to inspire a love for the beautiful country and rich culture that informed much of her identity. When she's not writing, she loves to travel to new places where she can explore different cultures or to Pakistan where she can revitalize her roots. She also loves baking complicated desserts, drinking fancy teas and coffees, watching sappy rom-coms, and going for walks about the estate (her backyard). She currently lives in New York.

Look for her on

IG @aamna_qureshi and

Twitter @aamnaqureshi_

and at her website

aamnaqureshi.com

Author’s Note

The world of The Lady or the Lion was heavily inspired by Pakistan and Pakistani culture. When I first read the short story, “The Lady or the Tiger?” by Frank R. Stockton, I was instantly compelled. It is the story of an impossible decision, with a killer ending, and after first reading it, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

The short story left much to the imagination, and I found myself enraptured by the spoiled princess and her forbidden lover.