Overview

In a quiet neighborhood of Lahore, Ansa Rehman—retired professor, poet, and keeper of secrets—lives a life shaped more by the words she never spoke than the ones she did. When a rebellious young artist named Zoya begins visiting her garden, what begins as an unlikely companionship slowly unravels decades of buried grief, unspoken love, and inherited silence.
As the two women navigate their intergenerational fears, dreams, and defiance, old letters resurface. Among them: a message from Meher—the woman Ansa once loved, and lost to time, distance, and the unforgiving rules of the world around them.
Told with lyrical restraint and deep emotional resonance, The Things We Don't Say is a novel about quiet resistance, the ache of what might have been, and the healing power of finally finding your voice. Spanning tea-stained pages, jasmine-scented gardens, and railway platforms where partings linger, this is a story for anyone who has ever wanted more, stayed silent too long, or dared to speak anyway.
Perfect for readers of Elif Shafak, Tayari Jones, and Ocean Vuong, this is a tender, timeless portrait of the women we were, the ones we become—and the courage it takes to close the distance between the two.