Consumed

Arifa Akbar’s Consumed intertwines personal loss with cultural and medical investigation as she seeks to understand her sister’s sudden death from tuberculosis. The memoir traces Akbar’s emotional journey through grief while exploring the history and stigma of the disease. Her writing is intimate and probing, revealing the intersections of family trauma, illness, and migration. Akbar examines how silence shapes familial relationships and how grief drives the search for meaning. It is a tender, courageous work that navigates sorrow with clarity and resonance.