About this book
Eight-year-old Ammar carries his grandfather’s cricket bat everywhere. Dada has been gone a year, and the handle is still worn to the shape of his grip.
When Ammar drops the last catch of an evening game in their Karachi lane, his cousin Hamza laughs, “Boys don’t cry!”, and a year of held-back grief rises to the surface.
Over the days that follow, Ammar, his Baba, his Dadi, Hamza and Hamza’s father each find their own way towards the feelings boys are so often taught to hide.
The Things We Don’t Say is a gentle picture book about grief, friendship, and fathers and sons, set among neem trees, sweet chai and the sea wind of Karachi.
The illustrations in this book were created with the help of AI.
Turn through the pages.
A few pages from the book, so you can see how it reads before you buy.
