SET against the evocative landscape of Kashmir valley, ‘Lost and Found in Kashmir’ tells an intimate story of grief, love, and emotional recovery through its protagonists, Heer and Kabir. While it gestures toward the region’s history of unrest, its attention remains firmly on the inner lives of its characters, giving greater importance to feeling than external detail.

The story is anchored in Heer’s return to Srinagar after a decade of displacement. Her journey is not just about going back to a place, but trying to understand who she is. Kashmir becomes more than a setting — it is tied to memory and longing.

As Heer reflects, “We had both left pieces of ourselves behind when we left”, and “It was time to go back… to remember who I was before the world told me who to be”. This need to go back is shaped by her life in Mumbai, which is shown as exhausting and mechanical — a “conveyor belt of meetings, presentations and numbers” in a city that seems to have “forgotten how to breathe”.

There are also several warm and engaging passages where Heer returns to Srinagar and finds joy in reconnecting with old friends, familiar places, and memories from her childhood.

At the centre of the story is Heer’s growing relationship with Kabir Dhar. Their bond develops slowly, marked by attraction and quiet understanding. The exuberant Kabir brings a sense of energy into Heer’s life.

A terrifying incident of violence near Dal Lake in their childhood binds them, adding a layer of tension to their connection. This grows with the presence of Zafar Khan, a threatening figure who feels more like a shadow than a fully developed character. His influence lingers over Heer’s life, following her from Srinagar to Mumbai.

The novel also deals with the idea of displacement, especially through Heer’s past and Kabir’s family history. However, it handles this theme in a limited way. Displacement is a major part of India’s history, from Partition to the Kashmiri Pandit exodus, but here it remains in the background, only lightly touched upon.

The writing is at its strongest when it captures small, sensory details: “Poplar leaves rustled overhead… the house stood silent as though it had been holding its breath waiting for me to return.” Overall, ‘Lost and Found in Kashmir’ reads more as a love story and a reflection on memory, loss, and belonging than as a historical account. It builds quietly, leading to a violent tragedy that, despite its intensity, feels not sudden but gradually inevitable.

— The reviewer is a freelancer