This Is Where the Serpent Lives

By: Daniyal Mueenuddin

Narrated by: Daniyal Mueenuddin

A stunning new work from universally acclaimed Daniyal Mueenuddin, whose debut short story collection won the Story Prize and was a finalist for the Los Angeles Book Prize, the National Book Award, and the Pulitzer Prize.

NAMED A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2026: Town & Country, Bustle, AARP, Kirkus

Moving from Pakistan’s dazzling chaotic cities to its lawless feudal countryside, This Is Where the Serpent Lives powerfully evokes contemporary feudal Pakistan, following the destinies of a dozen unforgettable characters whose lives are linked through violence and tragedy, triumph, and love. Orphaned as a little boy and fending for himself in the city streets, Yazid rises to a place of responsibility and respect in the Lahore household of Colonel Atar, a powerful industrialist and politician, only to find that position threatened by conflicting loyalties and misplaced trust. Born on Colonel Atar’s country estate to a poor gardener, Saqib is entrusted with the management of a pioneering business, but he overreaches and finds himself an outlaw, confronting the violence of the corrupt Punjab Police. The colonel’s son competes with his cherished brother for the love of a woman and discovers that her choice colors his life with unexpected darkness as well as light.

In matters of power and money and the heart, Mueenuddin’s characters struggle to choose between paths that are moral and just and more worldly choices that allow them to survive in the systems of caste, capital, and social power that so tightly grip their culture. Intimate and epic, elegiac and profoundly moving, This Is Where the Serpent Lives is a tour de force destined to become a classic of contemporary literature.

Cover painting “Garden Party” by Salman Toor © Salman Toor; Courtesy of the artist, Luhring Augustine, New York, and Thomas Dane Gallery

Wonderful stories/ narrator could have been better

The author/narrator did not change his voice enough between characters, making it hard to follow at times.

Excellent portrait of Pakistan

I worked in Pakistan for an NGO in the early 1990s very briefly, and this book really helped me understand so many social aspects that I had observed but knew little or nothing about. The western-educated author inherited a large Pakistani mango farm from his father, and in his adulthood had to take control of it and manage it. This book elucidates the world of the farm workers, farm managers, and farm owners. Each world has its own rules, often at odds with the rules of the others. Mueenuddin follows several characters in related and connected novellas. It's a fascinating and intimate glimpse into the workings of Pakistani society. The characters are drawn beautifully and fully. The writing is excellent. I can't recommend this book highly enough.

Clear and flowing story of Pakistani culture

This Is Where The Serpent Lives is a powerful telling of moments of life in Pakistan during various periods. It’s interesting to hear about rural life and culture. (I listened to an audio version narrated by the author Daniyal Mueenudin.) He is a great story teller whether you read or listen to the book