When the Fireflies Dance

Inspired by a shocking true story, this haunting debut novel of love, brotherhood, resilience, and redemption set in Pakistan calls to mind the modern classics The Kite Runner and The Beekeeper of Aleppo.

On the outskirts of Lahore, Pakistan, a large yellow moon hung low in the sky when the men came with dogs and guns and cricket bats. In front of his family’s small hut on the edge of a looming brick kiln, Lalloo’s brother was murdered.

Unable to escape the memory of that horrible night, Lalloo’s parents and sisters remain trapped, the kiln chimney churning black smoke into the sky as the family slave, brick by brick, to pay off their debts. To rescue them, Lalloo must free himself from his past and carve out his own destiny.

Aisha Hassan is an award-winning writer living and working in London. She has an MA in creative writing from the University of Oxford and is a Curtis Brown Creative alumna. Her play Pickled Mangoes was performed at Soho Theatre and her poetry has appeared in Under the Radar and Campus Magazine. When the Fireflies Dance is her debut novel. As a child, she lived in Lahore, Pakistan.  

ISBN: 9781668043288
Format: Hardback
Pages: 320
Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press
Published: August 19, 2025