We hear a great deal about Pakistan these days, most of it from officials and news reports. Fiction can be another way in to seeing and understanding the life of a people and a country. I had the great pleasure recently of reading a book called "In Other Rooms, Other Wonders," a series of linked stories that explore the lives of peasants and landowners in Pakistan's Punjab.

Its author is Daniyal Mueenuddin. He grew up in Lahore, Pakistan, and in Wisconsin, and attended Dartmouth and Yale law school. He's now back in Pakistan living on a farm and joined me by phone:

For more about the region, visit The Politcs of Pakistan.