Fire Rain (from Heart Lamp) by Banu Mushtaq (2025): A Review

Title: ‌Fire Rain (from Heart Lamp)

Author: Banu Mushtaq

Publication Year: 2025

Pages: 18

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Genre: Domestic Fiction, Biographical Fiction

Awards: International Booker Prize Nominee for Shortlist (2025)

Source: Ebook @everand_us

I didn't think I could feel any angrier after reading “Stone Slabs for Shaista Mahal,” but I was completely wrong! If I felt angry after the first story, my emotions shifted to pure rage after reading "Fire Rain."

The theme was so powerful that I won't even comment on the ordinary writing style; it doesn't need any embellishments to provoke strong feelings. The story highlights how misplaced a man's priorities can be, the unjust inheritance issues women face, their mistreatment by men, the hypocrisy of zealous religious individuals, men overlooking their families and their responsibilities towards them, the priority given to the dead over the living, and almost sectarian and religious tensions in Indian society.

I loved the twist and irony during the funeral. It was both delicious and fitting. Despite all the sad aspects of the story, I found myself laughing (”Yes, in your face!” kind of moment). However, the ending was heartbreaking, depicting how a husband and father can be so self-absorbed and ignorant of his own family, deserving to be at the bottom of the hell.