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Delivering a captivating narrative of love amidst adversity, ‘Finding Danyaal‘ emerges as a must-read, with author Zia Ahmad’s remarkable journey adding depth and resonance to the tale.
In the serene ambiance of Puerto Vallarta, amidst the vibrant LGBTQ+ community, I had the honor of meeting Zia Ahmad, an author whose life story transcends the pages of his novels. Zia’s journey from Lahore, Pakistan, to Puerto Vallarta is not merely a geographical shift but a profound narrative of love, tragedy, and resilience.
His sensitive portrayal of young love in the most difficult of circumstances in many ways mirrors his own story of growing up through tragedy, suffering, rebirth and resilience.
Both of Zia’s parents died less than a year apart from one another when he was just 16 years of age. Lost without them, he needed a purpose to continue. Relocating to the much larger city of Karachi, he lived there for a short time before arriving in Manchester, New Hampshire on Christmas Day 1989.
There, he attended school for a year before eventually making his way to Chicago and to DePaul University, where he graduated in 1996 with a degree in International Finance.
The years passed, but 2009 was a watershed. Zia met Scott, the love of his life, and nothing would ever be the same for him again. They began dating, and one year later moved in together. In 2014 Scott and Zia were married in Chicago, and a year later moved to Toronto, where Zia took a job with the Royal Bank of Canada.
Scott and Zia had vacationed in PV for a number of years, and they planned to eventually move here upon their retirement. Tragically though, fate took a cruel turn when Scott was diagnosed in 2019 with Stage 3 Pancreatic Cancer.
He underwent treatment, which was ultimately unsuccessful, and the prognosis was dire. With Scott’s condition deteriorating, they decided in 2020 to move to Puerto Vallarta full time to spend their last days together in the city they loved.
On January 23, 2021 Scott passed away in their dream home with Zia by his side.
Amidst grief and loss, Zia found solace in connecting with others who shared similar experiences. Through the LGBTQ+ community of Puerto Vallarta, he discovered a renewed sense of belonging and purpose.
Transitioning from a successful corporate career to pursue his passion for writing, Zia embarked on a literary journey to honor his past and inspire others. His debut novel, “The One Hundred,” shed light on a tragedy in Lahore (published in 2011), while his latest release, “Finding Danyaal,” delves into themes of love, identity, and self-discovery.
“I wanted to look back at my life and know I contributed something to society, and I knew I could do it with writing,” Zia shared “I wanted to leave a legacy.”
The One Hundred highlights a tragedy that occurred in his hometown of Lahore, in the 1990s. Several young boys had been abducted, assaulted, and ultimately murdered by a serial killer. Through marginalized fictional characters, one a transgendered runaway teen living in the streets, Zia wrote this difficult story as a way of honoring the victims and their memory.
In 2017, he began work on his labor of love, the book that helped him find peace with an earlier chapter of his life. Similar to the boys in his novel, FINDING DANYAAL, there was a Danyaal in Zia’s life when he was a boy. They were close friends until one day Zia, who was unsure of his feelings, broke the other boy’s heart. The lost love haunted him for years, and Zia began an exhaustive search for the now-grown man, eventually connecting again through social media.
Below is a brief introduction, followed by a description, both in his own words, of Zia’s second book which has just been released. It will give the reader a taste of what is awaiting them as they discover this soulful, yet heartbreaking new novel.
Set in the 1980s Lahore, “Finding Danyaal” intricately weaves a tale of LGBTQ+ romance amidst societal challenges and personal struggles. Drawing from his own experiences, Zia crafts a narrative that resonates with authenticity and emotional depth, offering readers a poignant reflection of his own journey.
“A good part of Rami’s (the protagonist) journey into adulthood resonates with my own experiences concerning family, relationships, bullying, and accepting my sexuality. Like many others, I struggled to come to terms with my emotions until I was able to discover and embrace my true self. I view my writing of this love story as a form of catharsis, a letter to my younger self.”
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Below is a brief, tantalizing description of FINDING DANYAAL.
Rami is coming into adulthood. Life is hell for boys like him in the unforgiving streets of Lahore, Pakistan—but especially bad for Rami—a teenager grappling with inner turmoil; he has fallen in love.
When Danyaal, a boy rooted in honesty and integrity, comes into Rami’s life, their unparalleled bond strengthens. Obsessed with relentless intimacy toward each other, despite the growing concern of heads turning, eyes narrowing—through thick and thin—Rami and Danyaal forge ahead with the romance developing between them until one fateful day.
A kiss between Rami and Danyaal, witnessed by a band of aggressors, sends the two boys racing away from their tormentors through the woods. Even greater pain awaits when their attempt to escape fails, and Rami watches in horror Danyaal being dragged away by his captors. What happens to them next reveals the many ways people love, betray, wound, and sacrifice for one another.
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As our conversation concluded, I couldn’t help but reflect on the profound beauty of Zia’s story—a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the transformative power of love. In both his life and his novels, Zia Ahmad invites us to embrace the complexities of existence and discover the profound beauty that lies within.
For those eager to embark on this emotional odyssey, Zia’s novels are available for purchase at Zia Ahmad’s Amazon Author Page, promising an unforgettable journey of love, loss, and redemption.
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