Brown Boy Barely Blossoms

A book cover will an illustration of a dark-haired man in four different parts, reminiscent of a Picasso painting
April 13, 2023
Fiction

Ashiq Amlani is a hopeless romantic teenager who decides to move from Pakistan to Canada to achieve the biggest mission of his young life: to lose his virginity.

Soon after he arrives, he decides that he must hide his heritage in order to fit in by changing his name, his look, and the way he talks. This coming-of-age story is an exploration of the immigrant experience, ethnic humor, and, most poignantly, self-discovery.

Brown Boy Barely Blossoms takes you on a journey where Ashiq strives to be Ash, and Ash struggles to replace Ashiq. A world where two identities clash, and a boy becomes a man.

Author(s)

Afzal Huda

A photo of a man wearing a black suit jacket, black polo shirt, and pinstriped pants. He has brown skin with a bit of facial hair and short hair pushed up and back.

Afzal Huda is a Canadian-born South Asian writer and photographer who travels. His photo book, Love Wins, was featured in The New York Times, and was nominated for The Palestine Book Award.