Tag: Female Authors

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Review: The Geometry of God

Rating: 3 Stars

I started reading The Geometry of God by Uzma Aslam Khan, without any idea what it was about. I’m always looking for good Pakistani authors, so when a book club I follow started reading this book, I decided to join in. I wasn’t disappointed.

The Geometry of God is the story of two sisters, Amal the practical one, and Mehwish who is blind; and their grandfather, Zahoor, a scientist. Most people consider Zahoor a heretic . When a fourth character, Noman, enters the story, he unleashes a chain of events that goes on to have consequences for all of them.

The thing that I liked the most about this book is how unapologetically Pakistani it is. Khan is not afraid to use Urdu and Punjabi to describe things that can only be described in these languages. The best part is that Khan does not compromise the Urdu words used in the book. The tenses and forms used are mostly correct, as used in real life, not like some weird translation of English words.

There are references that only people from the subcotinent understand; like the Manjha (kite string) sharpened with powdered glass, taking countless lives in Lahore during the festival of Basant; or the double knot in the shalwar. It is refreshing to read about things that are as normal as breathing to us but sound alien to others.

The most interesting voice in the book is that of Mehwish. I cannot applaud Khan enough for writing a character who is blind but who has vision and imagination. The way Mehwish thinks and classifies things is brilliant. The parts where she is the narrator require more concentration but are so funny and poignant that you want to meet Mehwish in real life!

Another thing in favour of the book is that it doesn’t pander to the western narrative. It shows Pakistan in a way relatable to the common Pakistani. Most people considered Zia’s regime restrictive. The Afghan refugees were considered a menace gifted to us by the U.S in the 80s Pakistan. No one has ever thought of the United States of America or Russia as anything other than the ones responsible for the plight of our country. They arecertainly not the saviors of anyone.

The things that didn’t resonate with me in this book have to do with me personally more than the writing. I have been a history buff, mostly good with dates, but only until the Zia regime. Because that is just history that I have not lived in or been too young to understand. After that, it’s just Benazir, Nawaz, Benazir, Nawaz, Musharraf, Zardari, Nawaz and Imran for me. I don’t remember much about the first 2 terms of either Benazir or Nawaz, and that seriously messed up some timelines of the book in my head. This confusion made it a bit difficult to understand the political environment of the time.

Another problem that I had was with all the philosophy and narrative in this book. Sometimes I feel like my mind has become foggy and unable to grasp difficult ideas, and this book made the feeling stronger. While I understood most of what Nana and his friends went on about, it still felt too verbose. I had to go back and read everything a few more times to get the actual meaning, and that was just more work for me.

Overall, The Geometry of God is a good, solid book written from a very desi perspective. It is likely to resonate with most people who like reading books without passing judgment on religion and morals.

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Review: Salt And Saffron

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Salt And Saffron by Kamila Shamsie is a light-hearted book about family history, class divisions, prejudices and familial love. Shamsie has created a fictional aristocratic family, proud of its roots that go back many centuries. She has used this family as an example of the elitism and caste system deeply embedded in our culture in the guise of family values and pride.

The very name of the family, the Dard-e-Dils (the Heartaches), is so unreal that you know what will follow can only be satirical and tongue-in-cheek. This family, the Dard-e-Dils, is proud of its heritage and they love to tell stories, mainly about their ancestors. Most of these stories are about the “not-quite” twins. These “not-quite” twins have been born quite frequently through history, and have always brought about the downfall of this family.

Aliya is the main protagonist, going back from the US to her family in Karachi, by way of London. She last talked to her Dadi (paternal grandmother) 4 years ago when they had a massive falling out. After avoiding her for 4 years, Aliya thinks that it’s time to heal the breach. But first, she makes a stop in London to see her older cousin with whom she is very close. And it is there that her own story seems to take an unexpected turn. She not only finds herself attracted to a boy who might be unacceptable to her family, but also meets the Indian side of her family.

The Indian and Pakistani sides of the Dard-e-Dils refuse to acknowledge each other, and still carry old wounds from the time of the partition. Aliya learns something about herself during her meeting with her Indian relatives. This makes it even more imperative for her to go back home and figure out what she wants from life.

Essentially a love story, Salt And Saffron also takes a look at the deeper consequences of the Indo-Pak partition; the deeply ingrained prejudices that are passed down through generations in the form of class and caste. How family history is written through stories that become legends as time passes.

Kamila Shamsie is an excellent writer and it is hard to find fault in her writing. She takes very real elements from her surroundings and turns them into a riveting story. The only problem is that since this book is written from the perspective of a particular class, it might be difficult to relate to for people who do not belong to that class. However, this does not stop me from appreciating her craft and her command of words. She is definitely a master storyteller.

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Review: Daisy Jones & The Six

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid may be a fictional account of a 70’s rock band, but the stories, the songs and the music sound so real that you can’t help but think about getting your hands on that awesome album that doesn’t really exist!

The book follows the rise of Daisy Jones and Billy Dunne and his band, The Six; and how it all came to an abrupt end after a sold out show at Chicago Stadium. No one knows why it all ended the way it did when everything seemed to be going so well for the band. Now, after more than 30 years, someone is making an effort to find out what actually happened.

The book is written as an oral history, recounted by several people. However, instead of going the usual route of everyone telling their stories one by one, this book gives a voice to everyone in one go. It feels like you have a number of people in your head talking about the same thing, yet looking at it from different perspectives.

I thought Jenkins Reid was a good writer when I had read her “Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.” This book confirms my belief. The way she writes about her female protagonists, it’s impossible not to feel their pain. You may not agree with their life choices, or what they stand for, but you can understand their misery.

Throughout the book, what I wanted to do the most was to hear all these great songs being talked about. You know a writer is a winner when she pushes herself to write all the lyrics for all the songs mentioned in her book! I certainly hope someone can get a real life Daisy Jones and a real life Billy Dunne to sing these songs some day!

A powerful book with a great soundtrack to accompany it!

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Review: Austenistan

Rating: 2.5 Stars

I don’t like giving a low rating to books by Pakistani authors, and if they are female Pakistani authors, then I’d rather skip reviewing the book than give it a bad rating. I wanted to do the same with this book, but despite my low rating, there are some things here that I found charming and cute. If it had been a book of romantic short stories with nothing to do with a famous woman author, I might have been happier about it.

Austenistan is a collection of short love stories inspired by Jane Austen’s works, mainly Pride And Prejudice. I have to confess that I am not a big Jane Austen fan, except that Pride And Prejudice was, is and always will be, my most favourite love story ever. It is one book that I love unconditionally, without any thoughts about its merits or demerits. So, it is understandable that I would regard everything inspired by it with suspicion.

On their own, most of the stories are charming. I love romantic stories and enjoyed reading Emaan Ever After and On The Verge. The Fabulous Banker Boys was also cute. . The Autumn Ball was quite sad and poignant, but the rest of the stories didn’t do much for me. Only The Deepest Love was too bland for me, and The Mughal Empire a weak attempt to redeem Ms. Bingley. The story that I really didn’t like, was Begum Saira Returns. It was a complete misfit in the collection, belonging more in a Mills & Boon book than in an anthology inspired by Jane Austen!

Now, I will come to the reason why I didn’t rate the book highly. I don’t like how all the stories promote Pakistani people as alcohol-drinking, promiscuous, party goers, mad about the latest international brands. All the stories, in trying to avoid the stereotype of burqa-clad, topi-wearing Pakistanis seen in the western media, have fallen into the trap of making Pakistan seem like any western country. That is not the truth. Pakistan has a distinctive culture, that is different from the rest of the world, but that is also not as religious as the West likes to portray it.

I know I will get the argument that I have no idea but all this does happen in Pakistan, and I know it does, but this is only true for a particular social class which is not even 10% of the total population of this country. To make it out as if this is prevalent all over the place is just sad, and untrue.

This brings me to why I found it ridiculous to relate all these stories to Jane Austen. While the main ideas might be taken from some famous books written by Austen, the fact is that Austen mainly wrote about the Middle Class and their struggles to remain relevant in the society. She wrote about strong women making mistakes and learning from them. She wrote about love found in unexpected places, not just with rich aristocrats. She wrote about girls with more on their minds than just men and marriage. There is so much to take away from Jane Austen, and yet, what I find in this book is a fixation with Pride And Prejudice, and how a rich man can solve all of life’s problems. So not cool.

I find myself thinking that all these stories could have been set in the real Pakistani Middle Class and still be as charming, and maybe much more real. I know our writers can do a much better job than this. I would love to read love stories that are set in a Pakistan where the majority of Pakistanis live. Are you listening to me, Pakistani authors?

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