Scattered Ashes — Dona Sarkar

Sometimes facing the future means saying goodbye to the past.

A remarkable story of love and loss, Dona Sarkar's latest novel explores the timely subject of cultural diversity and the timeless matters of trust, faith, and grief through the eyes of one extraordinary young woman.

Mars Alexander is the girl who has everything--the right clothes, the perfect boyfriend, the best grades. But when her military father is declared dead, Mars refuses to believe it--and refuses to say goodbye. With no body to bury, she's convinced her father will return from Afghanistan, and she's determined to make him proud. But when she meets the young Middle Eastern instructor of her essay prep class, a door to a whole new world opens.

Zayed Anwar has lived a life Mars can barely imagine, or understand. But as he challenges both her intellect and her emotions, she finds herself making bold new choices, and looking at everything through a new lens. Falling in love is as frightening as it is exciting, until she realizes that Zayed is keeping painful secrets from her--secrets that could shatter her all over again.