On January 6, 2026, the NYKCC’s Book Club met to discuss Lingering Faith by Aisha Walat.

The novel follows a Kurdish woman, Beritan, and her friends as they form a group to uncover the identity of a secret organization responsible for the assasinations of Kurdish activists. The story is set in Northern (Bakur) Kurdistan, in the town of Bazîd. After a long struggle filled with discoveries and risks, Beritan is ultimately forced to flee Kurdistan and seek refuge in Europe.

During our one-hour discussion, there was hardly a pause between questions-each question opened the door to another, deepening the conversation organically. Although the author is a young Kurdish woman from Zakho in Southern (Başûr) Kurdistan, her portrayal of Bakur Kurdistan was remarkably insightful and grounded.

The novel powerfully addresses the reality of Kurdistan as a native land occupied by four distinct nation-states and fragmented by barbed wire, mines, and walls. Yet, Walat deliberately defies and dismantles these artificial borders, illustrating how Kurdish history remains interconnected, how historical figures like Beritan belong to all Kurds, and how Kurdish geography continues to live as a unified whole in Kurdish hearts-despite over a century of aggressive assimilation policies enforced through violent and unethical means.

We highly recommend this book.