Books like The wish maker by Ali Sethi


The Wish Maker tells the story of Zaki Shirazi, a fatherless boy raised in a household dominated by his political journalist mother and iron‑willed grandmother, and his cousin Samar Api. Growing up with outspoken women, they share a love of American TV, Bollywood dialogue, and daring protests. As adolescence arrives, Samar’s unconventional choices bring serious consequences, while Zaki is sent to broaden his horizons. Years apart, their paths ultimately converge, forcing Zaki to confront what truly matters—happiness, identity, and devotion to loved ones. Set against the backdrop of modern Pakistan, the novel portrays the shifting social life and customs of a fatherless family while celebrating enduring bonds of friendship and kinship.
First publish date: 2009
Genre: Coming of Age/Teen Coming of Age
Authors: Ali Sethi
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 0.0 (0 community ratings)

The wish maker by Ali Sethi

How are these books recommended?

The books recommended for The wish maker by Ali Sethi are shaped by reader interaction. Votes on how closely books relate, user ratings, and community comments all help refine these recommendations and highlight books readers genuinely find similar in theme, ideas, and overall reading experience.


Have you read any of these books?
Your votes, ratings, and comments help improve recommendations and make it easier for other readers to discover books they’ll enjoy.

Books similar to The wish maker (24 similar books)

The Alchemist by 11032639|Paulo Coelho book cover

📘 The Alchemist

A young Andalusian shepherd named Santiago embarks on a journey across the desert to find a hidden treasure, learning profound lessons about listening to his heart and recognizing the omens that guide his path.

★★★★★★★★★★ 3.9 (309 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by 6139842|Mark Twain book cover

📘 Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
 by Mark Twain

Mark Twain’s classic novel follows the first-person narration of Huckleberry "Huck" Finn as he journeyes down the Mississippi River in 19th‑century America, exploring adventure, friendship and the era’s social issues.

★★★★★★★★★★ 3.8 (198 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
Great Expectations by 6801893|Charles Dickens book cover

📘 Great Expectations

Charles Dickens’ classic bildungsroman follows an orphan named Pip as he grows from humble beginnings in Kent to London society, encountering wealth, poverty, love, and moral triumph.

★★★★★★★★★★ 3.7 (144 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
Little Women by 6958509|Louisa May Alcott book cover

📘 Little Women

The beloved classic of American literature, Little Women, narrates the adventures of four March sisters as they grow up during the Civil War era.

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.1 (110 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
Memoirs of a Geisha by 6936617|Arthur Golden book cover

📘 Memoirs of a Geisha

A historical novel that follows a young woman’s journey from a fishing village into the refined, yet perilous world of Japanese geishas, exploring the rituals, social pressures, and personal ambitions that shape her life.

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.0 (77 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
Oliver Twist by 6801893|Charles Dickens book cover

📘 Oliver Twist

Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens’s 1837-39 social novel, follows an orphan raised in a workhouse who flees to London, joins a gang of pickpockets, and uncovers family secrets while exposing child labour and exploitation.

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.1 (68 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
The God of Small Things by 530232|Arundhati Roy book cover

📘 The God of Small Things

The God of Small Things chronicles the upended childhood of fraternal twins in India, exploring love, caste, and the impact of small moments on fate.

★★★★★★★★★★ 3.9 (64 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
Midnight's Children by 6967140|Salman Rushdie book cover

📘 Midnight's Children

Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie's 1981 Booker Prize‑winning novel, intertwines India’s journey from colonial rule to independence with the personal saga of Saleem Sinai in a tale of historical myth and magical realism.

★★★★★★★★★★ 3.9 (36 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by 7491290|James Joyce book cover

📘 A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

Stephen Dedalus’s coming‑of‑age journey in Dublin frames his transformation from bullied youth to aspiring artist, as he distances himself from conventional life.

★★★★★★★★★★ 3.3 (34 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
The White Tiger by 8068069|Aravind Adiga book cover

📘 The White Tiger

Balram Halwai rises from servant to entrepreneur, revealing the brutal path of ambition and survival in modern India.

★★★★★★★★★★ 3.8 (33 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
Middlemarch by 6790486|George Eliot book cover

📘 Middlemarch

Set in the 1830s Midlands, George Eliot’s Middlemarch intertwines village life, politics, and the struggles of its characters to explore social reform, gender roles, and community hypocrisy.

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.1 (21 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
Exit West by 7360749|Mohsin Hamid book cover

📘 Exit West

Two lovers flee a war-torn city through mysterious doors, carrying hopes and memories into a world of uncertainty.

★★★★★★★★★★ 3.5 (17 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
A Fine Balance by 8859369|Rohinton Mistry book cover

📘 A Fine Balance

A Fine Balance is Rohinton Mistry's critically acclaimed second novel, set in India in the mid-1970s and focusing on four unlikely individuals who come together in a city apartment during a state of emergency.

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.2 (16 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
Bleak House by 6801893|Charles Dickens book cover

📘 Bleak House

In Dickens’s sweeping novel, the protracted Jarndyce and Jarndyce case in the Court of Chancery pulls together a disparate cast— from heirs torn by legal costs to a mysterious ward, a cunning lawyer, and a destitute street sweeper— exposing London’s social decay.

★★★★★★★★★★ 3.9 (14 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
The Reluctant Fundamentalist by 7360749|Mohsin Hamid book cover

📘 The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Set in an outdoor Lahore cafe, the novel unfolds over a single evening, capturing the intersections of identity and social conditions.

★★★★★★★★★★ 3.2 (14 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
The Mountain Is You by 13265882|Brianna Wiest book cover

📘 The Mountain Is You

Explore the psychology of self‑sabotage and learn practical strategies to break destructive habits, build emotional intelligence, and unlock your highest potential.

★★★★★★★★★★ 3.4 (14 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
David Copperfield by 6801893|Charles Dickens book cover

📘 David Copperfield

A coming‑of‑age narrative set in 19th‑century England, following young David Copperfield as he navigates orphanhood, hardship and society’s social hierarchies.

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.5 (13 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
Cranford by 1511085|Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell book cover

📘 Cranford

A series of charming vignettes set in the fictional English country town of Cranford, drawn from Gaskell’s childhood in Knutsford, depicting the lives and manners of its genteel society.

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.0 (11 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
Cavedweller by 6499946|Dorothy Allison book cover

📘 Cavedweller

Delia Byrd returns to Cayro, Georgia, to reclaim a former life and her two daughters after leaving a rock‑and‑roll existence in California.

★★★★★★★★★★ 3.0 (1 rating)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
In other rooms, other wonders by 10827890|Daniyal Mueenuddin book cover

📘 In other rooms, other wonders

A collection of vivid short stories that explore the interwoven lives of a Pakistani landowning family and the servants, masters, and socialites who surround them, revealing the shifting social hierarchies and cultural changes in contemporary Pakistan.

★★★★★★★★★★ 3.0 (1 rating)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
The old wives' tale by 7255023|Arnold Bennett book cover

📘 The old wives' tale

Arnold Bennett’s 1908 novel follows the Baines sisters—Constance, the reserved daughter, and Sophia, the romantic rebel—through Victorian England, Paris, and the Franco‑Prussian War, tracing their growth from childhood to old age.

★★★★★★★★★★ 3.0 (1 rating)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
Tom Brown's School Days by 7924984|Thomas Hughes book cover

📘 Tom Brown's School Days

A classic 19th‑century English school tale that follows Tom Brown and his classmates at Rugby School, exploring themes of education, manners, bullying, and moral growth.

★★★★★★★★★★ 5.0 (1 rating)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
Louisa May Alcott by 6958509|Louisa May Alcott book cover

📘 Louisa May Alcott

Louisa May Alcott's early writings, based on diary entries from the ages of eleven and thirteen, offer insights into her thoughts, feelings, and early poetic efforts.

★★★★★★★★★★ 0.0 (0 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0
The Namesake by 6746566|Jhumpa Lahiri book cover

📘 The Namesake


★★★★★★★★★★ 0.0 (0 ratings)
Similar? ✓ Yes 0 ✗ No 0

Some Other Similar Books

The Book of Dust by Philip Pullman

Have a similar book in mind? Let others know!

Please login to submit books!