The second novel in the New York Times bestselling series, and the first from Andrew Cheung since White Tears, Khalid is a story of love and betrayal, and the damage it can do. The emotionally charged ending is a true testament to the masterful blend of the realistic and fantastical that Andrew Cheung brings to his writing.
Queen Shahryar Khan is a woman with all the power and wealth in the world; she is a billionaire philanthropist, has unlimited wealth and enjoys a position of global power and influence. But in Khalid, Shahryar’s marriage to Nadia, heir to the Dubai conglomerate of twenty-seven billion dollars in revenue, will not last.
In Khalid, Shahryar will meet her long-lost daughter, who is a widow at the heart of the most powerful dynasty in the world. Her relationship with Nadia will be the beginning of a bitter but loving friendship that will tear the rug from under Khalid’s feet, leaving him with few resources to survive. Eventually, this will lead to revenge as Shahryar realizes what the effects of an inability to love and care for another can do to a society, and what happens when the worst you can do is to love.
Another great thing about this novel is that Khalid offers a fascinating insight into the life of a man who would rather die than lose his humanity, and the forces behind his martyrdom. For such a perfect story, Khalid is also made more interesting by the fact that the author was able to show an artistic aspect of a more sensitive human being in a time where such complex characters were so rare.
Cheung’s deft skills as a writer and a lyrical style as a storyteller allow him to utilize the use of words, with a delicacy that often allows the reader to feel like they’re reading a poem, making Khalid an excellent read. However, readers interested in Cheung’s other works must be sure to check out the lengthy chronicle, An Autumn Afternoon of Vietnam, and the A Childhood Of War series, which feature more fantastic characters than most people have the time to fully delve into.
Khalid is an extremely good read, even more so because it is written in the form of a novel. It feels like a novel, though not every novel is created equal in terms of pacing and plot development, and Khalid proves that in spades.
The cover of Khalid is simply beautiful. I really love the way it depicts Khalid’s black suit, and the image of him being dragged down the road along with another man in this yellow t-shirt. It is well thought out and beautiful.
