A GIRL LIKE THAT

When teenaged Zarin and Porus are found dead in a car on the side of a highway in Saudi Arabia, their community is abuzz with speculation and gossip. As their ghosts watch the investigation unfold, listeners are taken through their lives in a series of flashbacks. Told through multiple perspectives by four narrators—Firdous Bamji, Neil Shah, Soneela Nankani, Lameece Issaq—the story depicts complex family dynamics, restrictive social pressures, and a world in which a young woman’s inaccurate reputation pollutes every aspect of her life. This piece is rich in cultural detail, with strong phrasing and deliberate pacing, as the narrators work to build a complete picture from overlapping stories and experiences. K.S.B. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2018]