# Why status and power are currency in Pakistan

An episode of [Bookends with Mattea Roach](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/250082529), 12 Apr 2026, 28 min.

Audio: https://mgln.ai/e/12/cbc.mc.tritondigital.com/CBC_WRITERSANDCO_P/media/writersandco/writersandco-Vv1OFDE3-20260410.mp3?ttag=season:2,episode:32

What does it mean to love a place that is so complicated? Pulitzer prize finalist Daniyal Mueenuddin’s new novel, This Is Where the Serpent Lives, dives into class, corruption and the systems of power that dictate life in Pakistan. Over six decades, it follows the lives of both the wealthy elite and those that serve them … and it takes readers all across the country, from its opulent cityscapes to rural farmlands. Although the book is fiction, many of its characters are inspired by real people Daniyal has known in Pakistan while living on his farm there. This week, Daniyal tells Mattea Roach about fictionalizing those people, his own relationship with Pakistan and how the country has changed. Liked this conversation? Keep listening: • How far would you go for your family? • The beauty and despair of Appalachia Check us out on Instagram @cbcbooks and TikTok @cbcbooks

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