Fifteen years after her first memoir, Songs of Blood and Sword, Fatima Bhutto is back with The Hour of the Wolf, a deeply personal story of abuse, survival and renewal. The book describes a decade-long relationship that Bhutto suffered in silence believing that it was love.
She encountered her partner, only known as “The Man,” in New York in 2011 while she was promoting her first book. Their relationship, mostly long-distance, lasted for 11 years.
Over time, she says, he became more and more controlling, beyond charming and very cruel. Bhutto describes verbal abuse, public humiliation, being kept silent for long periods of time, and even physical damage such as a bite that caused her nerve damage.
Secrecy was important in the relationship; he discouraged her from introducing him to her friends and family.
“I didn’t really want to do it,” Bhutto told the Guardian in an interview. “I felt ashamed, embarrassed. But I also knew that if I would’ve read something like this, it would’ve helped me.”
The relationship was terminated in 2021, when Bhutto realised that he would never commit to the family life she wanted. She later met her husband Graham in 2022, and has two kids.
Bhutto’s upbringing influenced her views on danger and secrecy. Born to the powerful Bhutto family of Pakistan, she lived in exile in Syria following the death of her uncle Shahnawaz, and had been subject to sudden upheavals all through her childhood.
Her father Murtaza Bhutto was killed in 1996 when she was 14 years old. These experiences resulted in her mistrustful relationship with power and kept her away from a career in politics.
While she has managed to stay away from a politician’s life, Bhutto remains an active writer and activist. She has written extensively on Gaza giving voice to Palestinians and recently edited the book Gaza: The Story of a Genocide.
Reflecting on war documentation after becoming a mother, she said, “It just kind of rips you open in a new way,” discussing how personal and global trauma altered her perception of life, compassion and resilience.
Also read: Happy Birthday: Aseefa Bhutto Zardari turns 33 today
