This book was a finalist for the National Book Awards and is starting to turn up in many “Best of the Year” lists, for good reason. It’s a mesmerizing read about a way of life that is now almost extinct. Set mostly in rural Punjab and the city of Lahore, these interwoven stories, which take place over several decades, explore the lives of both rich and poor under Pakistan’s rigid, almost feudal class structure. All the characters are related to, or dependent on, a wealthy landowner who is only vaguely aware of what happens to them as they live out their lives in the “other rooms” on his land and in his homes. Every room has its secret story, every character a vibrant, sometimes tragic life.