Srinagar, Sept. 8 -- The premise of Mudabir Syeed's debut novel is stated right in its title: which poses the greater threat to a nation, a mother or a terrorist? It is a bold question for a first-time author to build an entire book around, and for long stretches "Mother vs Terrorist" seems less interested in telling a story than in arguing a case. The plot centers on Mr. Khanna, an affluent but unremarkable man in the fictional town of Woodland, set in a fictional country the book calls Israel, a choice the author clarifies is invented rather than a reference to the real nation. After a failed first marriage and a long run of rejected proposals, Khanna marries Mayawati, a farm girl known to everyone as Maya, who was denied an education a...