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Sceptre The Return of Faraz Ali.
Inspector Jamshed is sent to the labyrinthine streets of Lahore’s walled city to cover up the chilling murder of a child prostitute, a murder in which his father Wajid, a powerful political figure, may be implicated. The task upends Jamshed’s orderly life by sending him back ‘home’ to the red light district of Lahore where he was born, the offspring of a prostitute, and from which his father took him as a boy, thereby giving him a chance at a respectable life.
Now though, assailed by a jumble of memories, and appalled by the viciousness of the crime, he's suddenly aware of everything he’s lost. Should he stop hiding his disreputable history and search for the mother and sister he hasn’t seen since childhood--even if it means risking everything? And should he defy his powerful father, to whom he owes his current ‘respectable’ existence, and proceed with the investigation of the little girl’s murder? Combining the suspense of a Patricia Highsmith novel with the epic scope of Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko or Vikram Chandra’s Sacred Games and told from the points of view of several complex characters, The Walled City takes us deep into the heart of one of Lahore’s ancient and mysterious communities.
Now though, assailed by a jumble of memories, and appalled by the viciousness of the crime, he's suddenly aware of everything he’s lost. Should he stop hiding his disreputable history and search for the mother and sister he hasn’t seen since childhood--even if it means risking everything? And should he defy his powerful father, to whom he owes his current ‘respectable’ existence, and proceed with the investigation of the little girl’s murder? Combining the suspense of a Patricia Highsmith novel with the epic scope of Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko or Vikram Chandra’s Sacred Games and told from the points of view of several complex characters, The Walled City takes us deep into the heart of one of Lahore’s ancient and mysterious communities.
352 pages, Paperback
First published April 5, 2022
526 people are currently reading
14042 people want to read
About the author
Aamina Ahmad
7 books77 followersAamina Ahmad, a graduate of the Iowa Writer’s Workshop, has received a Stegner Fellowship from Stanford University, a Pushcart Prize, and a Rona Jaffe Writer’s Award. Her short fiction has appeared in One Story, The Southern Review, Ecotone, and elsewhere; she is also the author of a play, The Dishonored. She teaches Creative Writing at the University of Minnesota.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 470 reviews
July 8, 2022
The Return of Faraz Ali is a powerful debut novel that spans Pakistani history from the end of World War II through the emergence of Bangla Desh. The book focuses on Faraz, the son of a high-ranking politician, Wajid, and Firdous, a courtesan/ prostitute who lives in the Mohalla, Lahore's walled red-light district.
When Faraz was five, his father had him "removed" from the Mohalla, ostensibly to provide him with a better future. However, Wajid never officially acknowledged Faraz's paternity nor considered the emotional toll of the abrupt removal from the home of his mother and half-sister, Rozina. Instead, he left Faraz to be raised by his distant, less powerful extended family. Nevertheless, Wajid was satisfied that he had done his duty when Faraz became a policeman.
In 1968, Wajid decided to call in Faraz's "debt" to him. He asked him to lead a special investigation in the Mohalla and cover up the "accidental killing" of a 12-year-old courtesan. Faraz's return to the Mohalla triggers intense memories and emotions that impact the course of the investigation.
Aamina Ahman is a skilled writer with a gift for characterization. She writes from the alternating points of view of Wajid, Faraz, and Rozina and, through them, examines class and gender hierarchies.
Ahman uses Rozina's parallel story to chronicle options for women born in the Mohalla and their struggles to make a better life for their children. Rozina was a youthful beauty and a hardened realist. She was trained as an elite courtesan whose singing and dancing skills set her apart and led her to make movies. She used her fame to attract wealthy men who, in exchange for an exclusive relationship, would maintain her and provide sufficient money to support her mother and her daughter. Her life becomes a continuous hustle that would provide the means to help her daughter escape the Mohallah.
I found Faraz and Rozina's stories moving and felt that I learned a great deal about the impact of class and gender on life in Pakistan. Unfortunately, I started the book on audio which was a mistake as I found the change of perspectives confusing. Luckily, I found a print copy at my local library. This is a book that is better when read. I highly recommend it.
When Faraz was five, his father had him "removed" from the Mohalla, ostensibly to provide him with a better future. However, Wajid never officially acknowledged Faraz's paternity nor considered the emotional toll of the abrupt removal from the home of his mother and half-sister, Rozina. Instead, he left Faraz to be raised by his distant, less powerful extended family. Nevertheless, Wajid was satisfied that he had done his duty when Faraz became a policeman.
In 1968, Wajid decided to call in Faraz's "debt" to him. He asked him to lead a special investigation in the Mohalla and cover up the "accidental killing" of a 12-year-old courtesan. Faraz's return to the Mohalla triggers intense memories and emotions that impact the course of the investigation.
Aamina Ahman is a skilled writer with a gift for characterization. She writes from the alternating points of view of Wajid, Faraz, and Rozina and, through them, examines class and gender hierarchies.
Ahman uses Rozina's parallel story to chronicle options for women born in the Mohalla and their struggles to make a better life for their children. Rozina was a youthful beauty and a hardened realist. She was trained as an elite courtesan whose singing and dancing skills set her apart and led her to make movies. She used her fame to attract wealthy men who, in exchange for an exclusive relationship, would maintain her and provide sufficient money to support her mother and her daughter. Her life becomes a continuous hustle that would provide the means to help her daughter escape the Mohallah.
I found Faraz and Rozina's stories moving and felt that I learned a great deal about the impact of class and gender on life in Pakistan. Unfortunately, I started the book on audio which was a mistake as I found the change of perspectives confusing. Luckily, I found a print copy at my local library. This is a book that is better when read. I highly recommend it.
April 30, 2022
4.5 stars, rounded up. This was an emotionally devastating knockout of a first novel by an incredibly talented writer, which delivered some shocking and tragic gut-punches. Many thanks to Will's recent review for moving this to the top of my must-read pile.
Ahmad catapults the reader into what first appears to be a tense and atmospheric crime thriller, set in the crumbling Mohalla, Lahore's red-light district, in 1968. With unflinching realism and radical empathy-- no heart-of-gold clichés here-- she portrays the trapped lives of courtesans who raise their own daughters to follow in their footsteps, so that they can be supported in their old age.
Faraz Ali is a police detective with subpar self-preservation instincts and a soft moral center, who's been dispatched to Lahore to whitewash a horrific crime of sexual violence in order to protect a powerful but unknown assailant from justice. Faraz's puppet-strings are being pulled by his biological father Wajid, a high-ranking civil servant and his political patron, who abandoned him as an illegitimate child, leaving him with his mother Firdous, a courtesan in the Mohalla. But Faraz barely remembers her, having being wrenched away from her as a young child in the novel's first scene. Faraz's conflicted efforts to solve the crime and deliver a small measure of justice pull him back into the orbit of his sister Rozina, whose career as a B-list film star has collapsed into sleaze and prostitution, failing to break out of a vicious circle.
The novel pans further and further out into a widescreen social-realist indictment of the corruption and rottenness of Pakistan's entrenched military and political elites, and their predatory and exploitative relationships with lower-class women and girls. Ahmad has created an intensely immersive reading experience: she doesn't translate the steady stream of cultural references or the characters' Urdu slang for non-native readers. And she trusts her readers to follow her protagonists deeper into the maze of a shadowy conspiracy that intersects with major events in modern Pakistani history during the late 1960s and early 1970s: the military dictatorship of Ayub, the political rise of Bhutto, and the Bangladesh war for independence.
Halfway through, Ahmad shifts the scene to Dacca, where Faraz has been demoted for allowing the case to spiral out of control, just as the Bangladesh war for independence is escalating. She doesn't shy away from scenes of horrific brutality-- perpetrated by police, soldiers, revolutionaries, and petty criminals all trying to survive in a corrupt and amoral world-- but these are leavened by the poetic elegance and obliqueness of her prose style.
But really, Ahmad is deploying elements of the crime fiction genre into a literary exploration of the crushing burdens of fatherhood (and also motherhood). Ahmad's sense of structure and plotting is masterful, with Wajid's wartime experiences in 1940s North Africa illuminating Faraz's detective story in interleaved chapters. She doesn't over-explain the parallels between their lives and personalities: both are following the orders of morally dubious masters, both are selling their souls for upward mobility in a thoroughly lawless system, and both are imprisoned for years in POW camps, where their personalities are broken down to their cores. And most important, Wajid and Faraz both make choices that they suppose will protect those who deserve their protection, but end up sacrificing their moral and personal integrity, and their worthiness for any kind of love or redemption.
Very highly recommended, and one of my favorite novels of 2022.
Ahmad catapults the reader into what first appears to be a tense and atmospheric crime thriller, set in the crumbling Mohalla, Lahore's red-light district, in 1968. With unflinching realism and radical empathy-- no heart-of-gold clichés here-- she portrays the trapped lives of courtesans who raise their own daughters to follow in their footsteps, so that they can be supported in their old age.
Faraz Ali is a police detective with subpar self-preservation instincts and a soft moral center, who's been dispatched to Lahore to whitewash a horrific crime of sexual violence in order to protect a powerful but unknown assailant from justice. Faraz's puppet-strings are being pulled by his biological father Wajid, a high-ranking civil servant and his political patron, who abandoned him as an illegitimate child, leaving him with his mother Firdous, a courtesan in the Mohalla. But Faraz barely remembers her, having being wrenched away from her as a young child in the novel's first scene. Faraz's conflicted efforts to solve the crime and deliver a small measure of justice pull him back into the orbit of his sister Rozina, whose career as a B-list film star has collapsed into sleaze and prostitution, failing to break out of a vicious circle.
The novel pans further and further out into a widescreen social-realist indictment of the corruption and rottenness of Pakistan's entrenched military and political elites, and their predatory and exploitative relationships with lower-class women and girls. Ahmad has created an intensely immersive reading experience: she doesn't translate the steady stream of cultural references or the characters' Urdu slang for non-native readers. And she trusts her readers to follow her protagonists deeper into the maze of a shadowy conspiracy that intersects with major events in modern Pakistani history during the late 1960s and early 1970s: the military dictatorship of Ayub, the political rise of Bhutto, and the Bangladesh war for independence.
Halfway through, Ahmad shifts the scene to Dacca, where Faraz has been demoted for allowing the case to spiral out of control, just as the Bangladesh war for independence is escalating. She doesn't shy away from scenes of horrific brutality-- perpetrated by police, soldiers, revolutionaries, and petty criminals all trying to survive in a corrupt and amoral world-- but these are leavened by the poetic elegance and obliqueness of her prose style.
But really, Ahmad is deploying elements of the crime fiction genre into a literary exploration of the crushing burdens of fatherhood (and also motherhood). Ahmad's sense of structure and plotting is masterful, with Wajid's wartime experiences in 1940s North Africa illuminating Faraz's detective story in interleaved chapters. She doesn't over-explain the parallels between their lives and personalities: both are following the orders of morally dubious masters, both are selling their souls for upward mobility in a thoroughly lawless system, and both are imprisoned for years in POW camps, where their personalities are broken down to their cores. And most important, Wajid and Faraz both make choices that they suppose will protect those who deserve their protection, but end up sacrificing their moral and personal integrity, and their worthiness for any kind of love or redemption.
Very highly recommended, and one of my favorite novels of 2022.
June 28, 2022
This multilayered novel blends examination of class, caste and gender within the scope of Pakistani history. The principal setting is in Lahore’s red light district that provides a backdrop for one man’s search for a moral center and connection with his roots.
The opening scenes set the framework of displacement and class oppression. Faraz Ali is five years old in 1943 when we first encounter him escaping on a rooftop to avoid removal from his maternal home. He is the unacknowledged son of a Lahore bureaucrat, Wajid, and a courtesan, Fiddous. Wajid wants to remove the boy from the red light district in hopes of giving him a chance at a better life. Although Fiddous initially resists Wajid’s offer, ultimately she accedes to his request and Faraz is placed with Wajid’s distant rural relatives. Faraz grows up with a lingering sense of displacement as memories remain of his early childhood in an inverted society where young girls are celebrated as future earners and young boys are appendages with no true economic function.
The narrative thread of the novel accelerates when Faraz, now a policeman in 1968, is assigned back to Lahore to cover up a crime of sexual violence against a young courtesan. His posting has been arranged by his biological father and puts Faraz in an uncomfortable position. He is expected to unquestioningly carry out his orders.Yet memories of his fragmented upbringing have left him in an ambiguous moral place. He is aware that he has been disenfranchised as an illegitimate child yet has become an agent of the state and is charged with implementing the oppressive rules that have marginalized him at birth.
This moral ambivalence affects his pursuit of the coverup and places him in precarious situations that mirror the turbulence in Southeast Asia. We follow the history of Faraz’ maternal and paternal families from the 1930’s through the 1970’s.In the process, we encounter a subtly delineated group of characters who have to make different moral and practical choices to cope with the issues of inheritance, exploitation and class oppression. Each choice is a response that shows a way of coping with the interrelations of ethnicity, class, politics and history.
This novel starts with an expository heartbeat of a coverup of a death. From this starting point, the novel expands into a mosaic of search for self in a complex society. It is an ambitiously conceived work and deserves a wide audience.4.5 stars
The opening scenes set the framework of displacement and class oppression. Faraz Ali is five years old in 1943 when we first encounter him escaping on a rooftop to avoid removal from his maternal home. He is the unacknowledged son of a Lahore bureaucrat, Wajid, and a courtesan, Fiddous. Wajid wants to remove the boy from the red light district in hopes of giving him a chance at a better life. Although Fiddous initially resists Wajid’s offer, ultimately she accedes to his request and Faraz is placed with Wajid’s distant rural relatives. Faraz grows up with a lingering sense of displacement as memories remain of his early childhood in an inverted society where young girls are celebrated as future earners and young boys are appendages with no true economic function.
The narrative thread of the novel accelerates when Faraz, now a policeman in 1968, is assigned back to Lahore to cover up a crime of sexual violence against a young courtesan. His posting has been arranged by his biological father and puts Faraz in an uncomfortable position. He is expected to unquestioningly carry out his orders.Yet memories of his fragmented upbringing have left him in an ambiguous moral place. He is aware that he has been disenfranchised as an illegitimate child yet has become an agent of the state and is charged with implementing the oppressive rules that have marginalized him at birth.
This moral ambivalence affects his pursuit of the coverup and places him in precarious situations that mirror the turbulence in Southeast Asia. We follow the history of Faraz’ maternal and paternal families from the 1930’s through the 1970’s.In the process, we encounter a subtly delineated group of characters who have to make different moral and practical choices to cope with the issues of inheritance, exploitation and class oppression. Each choice is a response that shows a way of coping with the interrelations of ethnicity, class, politics and history.
This novel starts with an expository heartbeat of a coverup of a death. From this starting point, the novel expands into a mosaic of search for self in a complex society. It is an ambitiously conceived work and deserves a wide audience.4.5 stars
January 7, 2023
Wanted to like this one but just couldn’t get into it. I think Aamina Ahmad makes several important statements in The Return of Faraz Ali related to power and injustice at the intersection of gender, caste, and class. At the same time, none of the characters stood out to me, the writing style made it hard for me to feel immersed in the narrative, and the jumping back and forth in time didn’t add much for me. Will keep my fingers crossed for my next read and wishing Ahmad the best in her writing career.
April 21, 2022
4.5, I could have easily rounded this up as down
Aamina Ahmad’s The Return of Faraz Ali is a strong and assured debut, an excellent novel by an exciting and talented new voice in fiction. It is 1968 and police officer Faraz Ali has returned to the Mohalla (the red-light district of Lahore where he was born) to investigate the murder of a young girl. More specifically, he is sent to make the murder disappear. The novel begins as a literary crime/mystery, but Ahmad aims higher, opening the novel up, moving skillfully through several decades of Pakistan’s history in alternating chapters. She explores issues of class, identity and the struggle to maintain dignity in the face of the political corruption imposed by those in power. Although the novel broadens its scope, there is still an intimacy as Ahmad never falters in her attention to her characters and their humanity. I look forward to what she does next while hoping that this one gets the audience it deserves.
Aamina Ahmad’s The Return of Faraz Ali is a strong and assured debut, an excellent novel by an exciting and talented new voice in fiction. It is 1968 and police officer Faraz Ali has returned to the Mohalla (the red-light district of Lahore where he was born) to investigate the murder of a young girl. More specifically, he is sent to make the murder disappear. The novel begins as a literary crime/mystery, but Ahmad aims higher, opening the novel up, moving skillfully through several decades of Pakistan’s history in alternating chapters. She explores issues of class, identity and the struggle to maintain dignity in the face of the political corruption imposed by those in power. Although the novel broadens its scope, there is still an intimacy as Ahmad never falters in her attention to her characters and their humanity. I look forward to what she does next while hoping that this one gets the audience it deserves.
March 24, 2024
I wish I could write a review worthy of this extraordinary book (won´t happen)
It´s not a mystery,for those who think it is (blurb).
It´s a heart wrenching,enlightening,sad,big in scope story with exquisitely delineated characters,and lovely writing.
I learnt a lot,and "met" characters I won´t soon forget.
It´s not a mystery,for those who think it is (blurb).
It´s a heart wrenching,enlightening,sad,big in scope story with exquisitely delineated characters,and lovely writing.
I learnt a lot,and "met" characters I won´t soon forget.
June 30, 2022
This debut novel, set in 1960s Pakistan seems to offer much upon first acquaintance. Set in the mysterious Walled City of Lahore, it opens with a senseless crime ( a child murder, so be warned). Faraz Ali is the police officer brought in to cover things up. From here we move among various characters and time periods as we learn the story of Faraz's family, get a glimpse into the Pakistani film industry, and witness the emergence of Bangladesh.
There is a lot going on here, most of it good, but some secret writerly sauce was missing for me. Maybe it's a lack of character depth? maybe it's the always troublesome backwards and forwards of timelines.
I will admit I was pretty miffed at the resolution of the crime and yes, I know that's not the point of this novel but poor Sonia seems used as a hook and I ended up resenting it. I plodded along under a little cloud of grumpy nihilism ( is that a thing ?) for most of the novel.
There is a lot going on here, most of it good, but some secret writerly sauce was missing for me. Maybe it's a lack of character depth? maybe it's the always troublesome backwards and forwards of timelines.
I will admit I was pretty miffed at the resolution of the crime and yes, I know that's not the point of this novel but poor Sonia seems used as a hook and I ended up resenting it. I plodded along under a little cloud of grumpy nihilism ( is that a thing ?) for most of the novel.
June 26, 2022
The Return of Faraz Ali is an impressive first novel, which both demanded and maintained my attention. It is a complex novel which at first seems simple; a crime novel set in a red-light district in Lahore where a young working girl is murdered. Ahmad uses the narrative conventions of this genre to take a much deeper dive into Pakitstani history, and to universal ideas about personhood and belonging. Initially, I found the multiple timelines demanding, and some sideline reading around the significant historical moments that lie in background of the narrative threads benefitted my engagement with the subtleties of this story. This is a novel that unpacks the corruption underlying Pakistani society from the 1940s-1970s. At the same time explores the burden of parenthood; the complex dilemma of balancing self-preservation against a child's future. Ahmad is at her best when illustrating the many ways that women are trapped in this world. This is a very thoughtful, carefully constructed story.
July 24, 2022
It was Daniel's review here
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
that led me to read this book and I see that Linda's is similar:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...
Thanks to both these reviews all I need to do is add a short note.
I could hardly believe this was a debut novel. It's really intricate and complex, yet these attributes serve to make it more powerful and intense, on a personal and a political/cultural level. I know very little about Pakistan's history and was left gasping at the violence, corruption and oppression that spread out before me. It resembled a spider's web, an important image in the story.
This was a novel that seemed to offer the possibility of different reactions depending on whether the reader is a man or a woman. I had to skim-read some of the more brutal male scenes of war, and violence against young revolutionaries, but find myself marked - scored in some way - by the lives of the women in the red-light district of Lahore. Ultimately, for me, this book was about choice; lack of choice, and also of the consequences of choice. It was about sacrifice. I once read a book set in France that I have not forgotten because it centred on the revelation that up to medieval times children were buried alive , sealed into the chimney of a house being built, as a sort of sacrifice to the gods. In this book mothers must sacrifice their daughters in a different way. Once again I am humbled that I have never known such suffering.
If I were to make any criticism it would be that early in the plot too much was explained, in the pluperfect tense, which I personally dislike, whereas later the story itself brought out the pull of tragedy in the characters. The interplay of personalities in this book, the complexity of themes and all that people go through in terms of personal suffering will make it hard for this author to follow such a début. Devastating, tremendous.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
that led me to read this book and I see that Linda's is similar:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...
Thanks to both these reviews all I need to do is add a short note.
I could hardly believe this was a debut novel. It's really intricate and complex, yet these attributes serve to make it more powerful and intense, on a personal and a political/cultural level. I know very little about Pakistan's history and was left gasping at the violence, corruption and oppression that spread out before me. It resembled a spider's web, an important image in the story.
This was a novel that seemed to offer the possibility of different reactions depending on whether the reader is a man or a woman. I had to skim-read some of the more brutal male scenes of war, and violence against young revolutionaries, but find myself marked - scored in some way - by the lives of the women in the red-light district of Lahore. Ultimately, for me, this book was about choice; lack of choice, and also of the consequences of choice. It was about sacrifice. I once read a book set in France that I have not forgotten because it centred on the revelation that up to medieval times children were buried alive , sealed into the chimney of a house being built, as a sort of sacrifice to the gods. In this book mothers must sacrifice their daughters in a different way. Once again I am humbled that I have never known such suffering.
If I were to make any criticism it would be that early in the plot too much was explained, in the pluperfect tense, which I personally dislike, whereas later the story itself brought out the pull of tragedy in the characters. The interplay of personalities in this book, the complexity of themes and all that people go through in terms of personal suffering will make it hard for this author to follow such a début. Devastating, tremendous.
April 4, 2022
Firstly, thank you so much to Goodreads, Riverhead Books, and Aamina Ahmad for this ARC giveaway! This book was stunning- gritty, deeply emotional, and complex. I took my time with this story, appreciating the heart of this novel- how difficult it is to do the right thing, to have those difficult conversations in life. How many consequences we invoke for wanting more, doing more, defending more. The prose is gorgeous and gripping, from begging to end I was hooked on each character and time period. Truly a essential read for history fans, and for those who like film noir!
July 9, 2022
3.5* rounded up.
June 2, 2022
Sweeping historic novel of recent Pakistani history. Enthralling plot; difficult structure, moving back and forth among years, successfully employed; great atmospherics. Strangely, Faraz Ali feels like the character with the least depth. A novel to reread with more to gain and understand from a rereading.
4.5 stars
4.5 stars
December 9, 2021
Profoundly intimate and propulsive; The Return of Faraz Ali is a spellbindingly assured first novel that poses a timeless question: Whom do we choose to protect, and at what price?
Keenly observed, universal family relationships set a psychologically suspenseful plot in motion and keep us emotionally riveted: a distant father and the son he can't quite embrace, protective mothers and rebellious daughters, siblings who never give up on each other, a lifeless marriage that begins to awaken when the truth is told.
Galley borrowed from the publisher.
Keenly observed, universal family relationships set a psychologically suspenseful plot in motion and keep us emotionally riveted: a distant father and the son he can't quite embrace, protective mothers and rebellious daughters, siblings who never give up on each other, a lifeless marriage that begins to awaken when the truth is told.
Galley borrowed from the publisher.
August 7, 2022
Faraz Ali, a young Pakistani officer, has been dispatched by his father, a local politician, to cover up the murder of Sonia, an 11-year-old girl living in Lahore, Pakistan’s red-light district. It is a brutal murder and the more Faraz looks into it, the more he suspects that the perpetrator is a high-ranking official. Unfortunately, he asks too many questions, and before he knows it, he is transferred to East Pakistan, where he is seen as part of an occupying force by those seeking to create a free Bangladesh.
Ahmad adds a twist to Faraz’s story. It seems that Faraz’s mother was a sex worker in Lahore and it was his father that intervened when Faraz was five-years-old, taking the child from his mother to be raised in the country. Faraz has a sister too. The beautiful girl was raised to be a dancer in order to entice older men to pay to have sex with her. Her talent resulted in her being hired as an actress and she had a successful career, until her age caused her appeal to men to diminish. Ahmad’s story is designed to depict the class disparities and institutional injustice that exist in Pakistan. It contains immense misery—extending through the generations. The author’s characters are fully human with their conflicting emotions and behaviors. Ahmad’s lovely writing includes significant aspects of Pakistan’s history from WWII through to the early 70s.
Ahmad adds a twist to Faraz’s story. It seems that Faraz’s mother was a sex worker in Lahore and it was his father that intervened when Faraz was five-years-old, taking the child from his mother to be raised in the country. Faraz has a sister too. The beautiful girl was raised to be a dancer in order to entice older men to pay to have sex with her. Her talent resulted in her being hired as an actress and she had a successful career, until her age caused her appeal to men to diminish. Ahmad’s story is designed to depict the class disparities and institutional injustice that exist in Pakistan. It contains immense misery—extending through the generations. The author’s characters are fully human with their conflicting emotions and behaviors. Ahmad’s lovely writing includes significant aspects of Pakistan’s history from WWII through to the early 70s.
November 4, 2022
Ο Φαράζ, επιστρέφει στη Λαχόρη και στο Μοχαλά, ως διοικητής του αστυνομικού τμήματος για να διευθετήσει το θάνατο ενός μικρού κοριτσιού. Όμως, οι αναμνήσεις ξυπνούν και δυσκολεύεται να προχωρήσει σε συγκάλυψη των υψηλών προσώπων που προφανώς έχουν εμπλακεί. Οι ερωτήσεις που κάνει τον φέρνουν σε δυσκολη θέση κι απομακρύνεται εσπευσμένα.
Έτσι ξεκινά η ιστορία που η συγγραφέας αποφασίζει να μας διηγηθεί, αλλά αν νομίζετε ότι θα διαβάσετε ένα βιβλίο επίλυσης εγκλήματος, πλαναστε.
Ο Μοχαλάς, είναι η γειτονιά στην οποία οι γυναίκες εξαναγκάζονται στην πορνεία κι αυτό περνά από μητέρα σε κόρη. Ο Φαράζ, είναι γιος μιας καντζαρί, όπως της ονομάζουν, αλλά ο Βάτζιντ, ο πατέρας του, τον απομάκρυνε ώστε να έχει ένα καλύτερο μέλλον. Αναπόφευκτα, η αδερφή του η Ροζίνα, θα ακολουθήσει την ίδια μοίρα.
Η συγγραφέας, αποφασίζει να μιλήσει για μια δυσκολη περίοδο στην ιστορία του Πακιστάν και το κάνει μέσω τριών διαφορετικών φωνών. Βλέπουμε, τις αποφάσεις που πήρε ο Βάτζιντ κατά καιρούς και το βάθος της πολιτικής διαφθοράς που ταλάνιζε τη χώρα για πολλά χρόνια. Η Ροζίνα, έχει ξεφύγει θεωρητικά από το Μοχαλά, αλλά ισχύει κάτι τέτοιο? Ο Φαράζ, βρίσκεται σε δίλημμα κι όταν αποφασίζει να βρει τη μητέρα του, απομακρύνεται άμεσσα.
Η Ahmad, χρησιμοποιώντας τη ζωή του Φαράζ, και με εναλλαγές ανάμεσα σε παρόν και παρελθόν, αφηγείται παράλληλα, κομμάτια της ιστορίας του Πακιστάν από το ΒΠΠ μέχρι τη γενοκτονία του σημερινού Μπακλαντές το 1971 και δεν σταματά να θυμίζει τις δυσκολίες και τον υποβιβασμό της γυναικείας υπόστασης.
Ένα πολύ δυνατό πρώτο μυθιστόρημα για μια γεωγραφική επικράτεια για την οποία δεν είχα διαβάσει ιδιαίτερα.
"Ήταν λογικό που όσοι δεν αναγκάζονταν πότε να δουν την ασχήμια ήθελαν να έχουν πίνακες της ασχήμιας στους τοίχους τους•μπορούσαν να την αντικρίζουν όποτε ήθελαν και μετά να της γυρίζουν την πλάτη."
Έτσι ξεκινά η ιστορία που η συγγραφέας αποφασίζει να μας διηγηθεί, αλλά αν νομίζετε ότι θα διαβάσετε ένα βιβλίο επίλυσης εγκλήματος, πλαναστε.
Ο Μοχαλάς, είναι η γειτονιά στην οποία οι γυναίκες εξαναγκάζονται στην πορνεία κι αυτό περνά από μητέρα σε κόρη. Ο Φαράζ, είναι γιος μιας καντζαρί, όπως της ονομάζουν, αλλά ο Βάτζιντ, ο πατέρας του, τον απομάκρυνε ώστε να έχει ένα καλύτερο μέλλον. Αναπόφευκτα, η αδερφή του η Ροζίνα, θα ακολουθήσει την ίδια μοίρα.
Η συγγραφέας, αποφασίζει να μιλήσει για μια δυσκολη περίοδο στην ιστορία του Πακιστάν και το κάνει μέσω τριών διαφορετικών φωνών. Βλέπουμε, τις αποφάσεις που πήρε ο Βάτζιντ κατά καιρούς και το βάθος της πολιτικής διαφθοράς που ταλάνιζε τη χώρα για πολλά χρόνια. Η Ροζίνα, έχει ξεφύγει θεωρητικά από το Μοχαλά, αλλά ισχύει κάτι τέτοιο? Ο Φαράζ, βρίσκεται σε δίλημμα κι όταν αποφασίζει να βρει τη μητέρα του, απομακρύνεται άμεσσα.
Η Ahmad, χρησιμοποιώντας τη ζωή του Φαράζ, και με εναλλαγές ανάμεσα σε παρόν και παρελθόν, αφηγείται παράλληλα, κομμάτια της ιστορίας του Πακιστάν από το ΒΠΠ μέχρι τη γενοκτονία του σημερινού Μπακλαντές το 1971 και δεν σταματά να θυμίζει τις δυσκολίες και τον υποβιβασμό της γυναικείας υπόστασης.
Ένα πολύ δυνατό πρώτο μυθιστόρημα για μια γεωγραφική επικράτεια για την οποία δεν είχα διαβάσει ιδιαίτερα.
"Ήταν λογικό που όσοι δεν αναγκάζονταν πότε να δουν την ασχήμια ήθελαν να έχουν πίνακες της ασχήμιας στους τοίχους τους•μπορούσαν να την αντικρίζουν όποτε ήθελαν και μετά να της γυρίζουν την πλάτη."
June 30, 2022
This was a slow burn for me, there seemed to be a lot going on before tying it all together with an engaging few final chapters. A seemingly simple crime story beginning in Lahore’s red light district becoming more complex and spanning a few generations of a small but connected mixed family group.
Some beautiful writing and imagery but the engagement came too late for me to really love this book.
3.5, book.
Some beautiful writing and imagery but the engagement came too late for me to really love this book.
3.5, book.
December 5, 2022
This is an exquisite novel of Pakistan during the 20th century. The center of the novel is one man, Faraz Ali, but the chapters are told from the perspectives of Faraz and various people surrounding him, and they arise out of times and places ranging from 1937 to 1976 and from Lahore to London to the prison camps in Libya and Bangladesh. This is historical fiction that encompasses two mysteries: a specific crime to be solved, and a long-standing familial history to be unravelled. It is both personal and political.
I don't think it's much of a spoiler to say that Faraz yearns to know the mother, the family, he lost so early in his life.
The novel unfolds in three parts.
Part I opens in November 1968, when Faraz is a superintending police officer in Ichra on the edges of Lahore, a revolution is in the making in Pakistan by Bhutto to unseat the government of Ayub, and Faraz is married to a distant cousin Mussarat with whom he has a toddler daughter Nazia. That night, Faraz receives a call from Walid saying that Faraz is immediately being reassigned to a station within the walled city Mohalla area of Lahore. Walid needs Faraz to quickly and discreetly put to rest an accident that has happened.
In Part II, Faraz is in Dacca (later known as Dhaka) in eastern Pakistan in 1970, where he was punitively reassigned after failing to appropriately resolve matters in the Mohalla. Revolution is again brewing as the people are demanding their own freedom from Pakistan and eventually become the country of Bangladesh.
In Part III, Faraz is reunited in Lahore with his wife Mussarat and daughter Nazia. All of his secrets unfold.
Faraz is a thoughtful sympathetic character, who is trapped within the personal, societal, and political circumstances of his life (as aren't we all) and doing the best that he can. But more than Faraz's story, this novel focuses on the lives of women in this era and locale -- Faraz's mother Firdous, his sister Rozina a/k/a Heer, his niece Mina, and his wife Mussarat. I didn't want the lives of any of these people, but I want to be friends with them forever.
I don't think it's much of a spoiler to say that Faraz yearns to know the mother, the family, he lost so early in his life.
The novel unfolds in three parts.
Part I opens in November 1968, when Faraz is a superintending police officer in Ichra on the edges of Lahore, a revolution is in the making in Pakistan by Bhutto to unseat the government of Ayub, and Faraz is married to a distant cousin Mussarat with whom he has a toddler daughter Nazia. That night, Faraz receives a call from Walid saying that Faraz is immediately being reassigned to a station within the walled city Mohalla area of Lahore. Walid needs Faraz to quickly and discreetly put to rest an accident that has happened.
In Part II, Faraz is in Dacca (later known as Dhaka) in eastern Pakistan in 1970, where he was punitively reassigned after failing to appropriately resolve matters in the Mohalla. Revolution is again brewing as the people are demanding their own freedom from Pakistan and eventually become the country of Bangladesh.
In Part III, Faraz is reunited in Lahore with his wife Mussarat and daughter Nazia. All of his secrets unfold.
Faraz is a thoughtful sympathetic character, who is trapped within the personal, societal, and political circumstances of his life (as aren't we all) and doing the best that he can. But more than Faraz's story, this novel focuses on the lives of women in this era and locale -- Faraz's mother Firdous, his sister Rozina a/k/a Heer, his niece Mina, and his wife Mussarat. I didn't want the lives of any of these people, but I want to be friends with them forever.
April 28, 2022
A powerful debut novel that tells a compelling and heart-rending story story set in Pakistan. Faraz was an illegitimate child born to a courtesan from Lahore’s red-light district and her well-heeled, connected patron, Wajid. The usual thing for Wajid to have done would have been to throw a few dollars the woman’s way and forget about the boy, but Wajid decides to take Faraz as a five-year-old away from his mother and sister and give him to some distant relatives to give the boy a chance at a respectable life. (There’s no contact between Wajid and his son.) A few decades later, Wajid pulls some strings and has Faraz, now a policeman, assigned as a station chief in the very neighbourhood he was born into, where he’s expected to hush up the murder of a 13-year-old girl who was being initiated into the neighbourhood profession. Policing is notoriously corrupt in Pakistan, and this plum assignment, awarded many years before Faraz could otherwise have expected it, would be a financial bonanza, given all the protection and hush money flowing. But Faraz, who has always gone along to get along, has something aroused in him by returning to the place of his birth. He longs to find his mother and sister, whom he barely remembers and has had no contact with since his removal from them, and the fact that he’s expected to treat the murdered girl as utterly disposable and valueless strikes too close to home. Not only does he refuse to cover up her death, he keeps turning stones, trying to get to the bottom of what happened, in spite of the great cost to himself. Such a moving—make that heart-breaking—portrait of a man drawing a line in the sand and stubbornly refusing to do the expected, easy thing. Also a fascinating look into the courtesan culture of the Mohalla district.
May 20, 2022
What a brilliant book. It has completely destroyed me.
January 14, 2023
This book’s description makes it sound like a police procedural. It is not. It is a complex story set mostly in Pakistan with multiple threads that span many decades. The search for what happened to the victim is only one of storylines. We learn about protagonist Faraz Ali’s complicated family history, his father’s actions as a soldier during WWII, the hostilities in Dhaka during Bangladesh’s struggle for independence in 1971, and the backstories of Faraz’s sister, an actress, and mother, a sex worker.
It is nicely written, but very ambitious and slow in developing. It is not for anyone looking for lots of action, so billing it as a detective story was probably a mistake. Overall, I would call it a family saga that explores themes of class, opportunities (or lack thereof), the difficulties faced by aging women, the plight of sex workers, and conflicts/wars through the decades. It jumps around quite a bit, back and forth through different timelines. I had to look up a number of terms, and it could have used a glossary. I liked it enough to read another book by this author. I think it would make a good mini-series.
It is nicely written, but very ambitious and slow in developing. It is not for anyone looking for lots of action, so billing it as a detective story was probably a mistake. Overall, I would call it a family saga that explores themes of class, opportunities (or lack thereof), the difficulties faced by aging women, the plight of sex workers, and conflicts/wars through the decades. It jumps around quite a bit, back and forth through different timelines. I had to look up a number of terms, and it could have used a glossary. I liked it enough to read another book by this author. I think it would make a good mini-series.
May 8, 2022
This book just never really grabbed hold of me. It was very slow moving with too many characters, too many sub-plots and a bit confusing.
February 24, 2025
Catching up…
I am now bringing my review to Goodreads.
This is a terribly sad, and at times difficult to read story with no apparent happy resolution.
It is 1968 and a young girl (maybe age 11 or 12) named Sonia is killed in a Pakistan neighborhood known for being a red-light district. What was she doing there? A police officer, Faraz Ali is sent to cover-up the crime. Why?
Faraz Ali has a very complicated past. And, a very complicated relationship with his powerful father, Wajid, who was the one who gave the order to cover-up the crime. Who is Wajid protecting?
The problem for Ali is that he has a conscious. He wants a murder investigation. And, thus a police procedural takes place for readers. One of my favorite genres.
At the same time, readers are taken to an earlier time in WWII, when Wajid was a soldier for the British Empire, who has been captured and thrown into a POW camp in Libya. How does this affect his future self?
This is an intergenerational saga that touches on a lot of sensitive trigger issues – i.e., war, child and adult prostitution, poverty, the life of a courtesan, domineering parentage. The characters are real feeling against a compelling plot. It is also filled with vivid descriptions of violence, which impacted my experience as a reader. In those instances, it was easier to skip read those sections.
3.5 stars
I am now bringing my review to Goodreads.
This is a terribly sad, and at times difficult to read story with no apparent happy resolution.
It is 1968 and a young girl (maybe age 11 or 12) named Sonia is killed in a Pakistan neighborhood known for being a red-light district. What was she doing there? A police officer, Faraz Ali is sent to cover-up the crime. Why?
Faraz Ali has a very complicated past. And, a very complicated relationship with his powerful father, Wajid, who was the one who gave the order to cover-up the crime. Who is Wajid protecting?
The problem for Ali is that he has a conscious. He wants a murder investigation. And, thus a police procedural takes place for readers. One of my favorite genres.
At the same time, readers are taken to an earlier time in WWII, when Wajid was a soldier for the British Empire, who has been captured and thrown into a POW camp in Libya. How does this affect his future self?
This is an intergenerational saga that touches on a lot of sensitive trigger issues – i.e., war, child and adult prostitution, poverty, the life of a courtesan, domineering parentage. The characters are real feeling against a compelling plot. It is also filled with vivid descriptions of violence, which impacted my experience as a reader. In those instances, it was easier to skip read those sections.
3.5 stars
May 22, 2022
'The Return of Faraz Ali' by Aamina Ahmad is a superb novel with strong literary themes! However, reader be warned - the author is a graduate of the Iowa Writer's Workshop, so it's all about the show-in-as-clever-a-manner as possible, and not tell anything! However, in this case, the writing artifices of the Iowa Writer Workshop does not drown the emotions or characters under technique as such award-winning training usually does.
This is not a novel about amazing characters. They are hardworking survivors who do what they must.
The timeline alternates between World War II and the 1970's. Two wars interconnect three generations of Shia Muslims in (West) Pakistan. Characters endure. Families are broken by shame as much as they are by social norms of behavior. The generations mirror the breaking of their better selves unknowingly despite the changes of Time, War and Place.
The book is an indictment of patriarchal entitlement and its causes, which btw, victimizes many men as much as it does women. While supposedly a mystery about the murder of a child prostitute in an infamous Pakistani red light district, Mohalla, a place of generational family brothels in Lahore, in 1968, the novel is mostly about how social barriers murder family relationships. Mothers train their daughters up to be prostitutes, while their wealthy fathers are nameless and protected by the police from exposure. When an important client murders an eleven-year-old prostitute, Sonia, the police look for some poor unimportant man to arrest. The true murderer must be protected! Police inspectors' heads would roll if important men were implicated.
The book is a deep dive into relationships bent out of shape by class, politics, prejudices, and gender. No one questions "the system" much. In fact, inquisitiveness is discouraged. Any inherent courage possessed by the main male narrators - Faraz Ali, Wajid Sultan - is soon extinguished by the pressures of survival in a stratified and corrupt society. The women - Firdous, Rozina, Mina - are courageous in surviving a system designed to box them into prostitution, having sex to live another day. If they are lucky. Paradoxically, the prostitutes pray for girls to be born to support the mothers and grandmothers in old age. The mothers also teach their children to accept their caste, punishing those kids who attempt to change anything, or who try to escape the district. The lives of wives are different only in the absence of shame and multiple partners not of their choice. Genuine love is a rarity; however, the artifices of love are treasured. Does faking emotional fulfillment work in preserving authenticity and integrity? Should we care about preserving authenticity and integrity? Gentle reader, you be the judge.
What makes the book interesting is Pakistan's red-light district history. What makes the story so good, full of heartbreaking poignancy, are the dilemmas of the characters in maintaining hope, as well as body and soul, to carry on despite the overwhelming hypocrisy and corruption. Can any of them escape their inheritance of place and roles? Is the concept of ‘home’ a fantasy we never can satisfy but always reach for? Ahmad has written a very good book.
This is not a novel about amazing characters. They are hardworking survivors who do what they must.
The timeline alternates between World War II and the 1970's. Two wars interconnect three generations of Shia Muslims in (West) Pakistan. Characters endure. Families are broken by shame as much as they are by social norms of behavior. The generations mirror the breaking of their better selves unknowingly despite the changes of Time, War and Place.
The book is an indictment of patriarchal entitlement and its causes, which btw, victimizes many men as much as it does women. While supposedly a mystery about the murder of a child prostitute in an infamous Pakistani red light district, Mohalla, a place of generational family brothels in Lahore, in 1968, the novel is mostly about how social barriers murder family relationships. Mothers train their daughters up to be prostitutes, while their wealthy fathers are nameless and protected by the police from exposure. When an important client murders an eleven-year-old prostitute, Sonia, the police look for some poor unimportant man to arrest. The true murderer must be protected! Police inspectors' heads would roll if important men were implicated.
The book is a deep dive into relationships bent out of shape by class, politics, prejudices, and gender. No one questions "the system" much. In fact, inquisitiveness is discouraged. Any inherent courage possessed by the main male narrators - Faraz Ali, Wajid Sultan - is soon extinguished by the pressures of survival in a stratified and corrupt society. The women - Firdous, Rozina, Mina - are courageous in surviving a system designed to box them into prostitution, having sex to live another day. If they are lucky. Paradoxically, the prostitutes pray for girls to be born to support the mothers and grandmothers in old age. The mothers also teach their children to accept their caste, punishing those kids who attempt to change anything, or who try to escape the district. The lives of wives are different only in the absence of shame and multiple partners not of their choice. Genuine love is a rarity; however, the artifices of love are treasured. Does faking emotional fulfillment work in preserving authenticity and integrity? Should we care about preserving authenticity and integrity? Gentle reader, you be the judge.
What makes the book interesting is Pakistan's red-light district history. What makes the story so good, full of heartbreaking poignancy, are the dilemmas of the characters in maintaining hope, as well as body and soul, to carry on despite the overwhelming hypocrisy and corruption. Can any of them escape their inheritance of place and roles? Is the concept of ‘home’ a fantasy we never can satisfy but always reach for? Ahmad has written a very good book.
May 21, 2022
I read this book after I read a review in the New York Times which called it a "stunning" debut and emphasized the mystery involving the death of a 12 year old sex worker in the red light district of Lahore in 1968. The prostitutes and pimps in this area belong to an hereditary caste called Kanjars, whose function is to provide sex. The hero is a policeman called Faraz Ali, who has deep links to this area.
The time line goes back and forth from the 1940's through the 1970's.
The mystery is interesting, but is almost a background to some of the other themes, including identity, discrimination, class dominance, war, and the history of Pakistan (then part of India) in both World War II and the civil war in 1970-1971 that resulted in east Pakistan becoming the new country of Bangladesh.
Ahmad is an excellent writer. She created multiple characters who were very real to me. I became immersed in their stories. Many aspects are very sad, but keep reading. Faraz eventually receives some personal relief and a sense of closure.
The time line goes back and forth from the 1940's through the 1970's.
The mystery is interesting, but is almost a background to some of the other themes, including identity, discrimination, class dominance, war, and the history of Pakistan (then part of India) in both World War II and the civil war in 1970-1971 that resulted in east Pakistan becoming the new country of Bangladesh.
Ahmad is an excellent writer. She created multiple characters who were very real to me. I became immersed in their stories. Many aspects are very sad, but keep reading. Faraz eventually receives some personal relief and a sense of closure.
July 13, 2022
In two words: simply superb. What makes it so are four elements: (1) there are multiple global settings, the novel does not limit itself to one locale; (2) the temporal context are major world events -- WWII, partition, the events that led to the creation of Bangladesh; (3) history is treated psycho-dynamically via the repetition of family histories; and (4) the author has great skill in portraying how people communicate via silence, gesture, and other indirect means such as hints and hesitations.
My one wish was that the character of Ghazi Ashraf needed a longer and better backstory. Still, the book is a remarkable achievement.
My one wish was that the character of Ghazi Ashraf needed a longer and better backstory. Still, the book is a remarkable achievement.
September 14, 2022
Aamina Ahmad’s novel, The Return of Faraz Ali, is a hauntingly beautiful story which encompasses many important themes - the role of class in predetermining station in life; the powerlessness - and powers - women must confront; the role of individual responsibility and complicity in the crimes which the powerful
commit; and what it means to be a parent.
The narrative revolves around a police inspector - the eponymous Faraz Ali - who harbors a secret surrounding his origins. He is the illegitimate son of a now powerful politician and a tawaif ( a refined courtesan who - like Japanese geisha - were trained in classical music, dance, and poetry ) from the Pakistani city of Lahore. Taken from his mother as a young boy, Faraz is raised by relations of his father ( who does not officially acknowledge him but serves as a distant patron) but yearns to rediscover his mother and his sister of whom he has but the faintest memories. At the beginning of the book, it is 1968 and Faraz’s father has posted him in a police station in the Hiramandi ( red light district) of Lahore’s walled city - the very neighborhood from which he was taken as a child - seemingly to solve the brutal murder of a young girl who’s initiation as a tawaif results in her death.Faraz quickly discovers that he is in fact being asked to coverup this murder or to find a scapegoat. His return to the walled city also reawakens his desire to discover his mother’s identity. As he tries to negotiate the treacherous demimonde of powerful Pakistani politicians and military who want the case closed, he embarks on a voyage of self-discovery. The narrative moves backwards and forwards in time, from the deserts of North Africa during WW2 (when Faraz’s father Wajid is in an Italian POW camp) to the Pakistani genocide in Bangladesh during its freedom struggle in 1972. Along the way we follow the lives of Faraz’s mother, Firdous, his sister Rozina, and his niece, Mina moving through time to see the arc of their lives from their optimistic youth through their compromises as dreams crumble or are realized.
Ahmad writes beautifully- with the eye for detail of a sociologist but the lyricism of a poet. Her prose is spare which lightens the heaviness of its ideas, and she endows her principle characters with a profound humanity - especially Faraz who is a deeply decent man trapped by class and hierarchy into being complicit with crimes which deeply revolt him. If I have one criticism it is that some of the antagonists in this book could have been given greater depth to better illuminate their motivations. This is not a book which ties up its plot lines neatly. Such an ending would be unrealistic but also a disservice to the seriousness of the narrative. However it is a novel which finds glimmers of beauty and light which - however ephemerally- dispel the darkness. Five stars plus plus plus.
commit; and what it means to be a parent.
The narrative revolves around a police inspector - the eponymous Faraz Ali - who harbors a secret surrounding his origins. He is the illegitimate son of a now powerful politician and a tawaif ( a refined courtesan who - like Japanese geisha - were trained in classical music, dance, and poetry ) from the Pakistani city of Lahore. Taken from his mother as a young boy, Faraz is raised by relations of his father ( who does not officially acknowledge him but serves as a distant patron) but yearns to rediscover his mother and his sister of whom he has but the faintest memories. At the beginning of the book, it is 1968 and Faraz’s father has posted him in a police station in the Hiramandi ( red light district) of Lahore’s walled city - the very neighborhood from which he was taken as a child - seemingly to solve the brutal murder of a young girl who’s initiation as a tawaif results in her death.Faraz quickly discovers that he is in fact being asked to coverup this murder or to find a scapegoat. His return to the walled city also reawakens his desire to discover his mother’s identity. As he tries to negotiate the treacherous demimonde of powerful Pakistani politicians and military who want the case closed, he embarks on a voyage of self-discovery. The narrative moves backwards and forwards in time, from the deserts of North Africa during WW2 (when Faraz’s father Wajid is in an Italian POW camp) to the Pakistani genocide in Bangladesh during its freedom struggle in 1972. Along the way we follow the lives of Faraz’s mother, Firdous, his sister Rozina, and his niece, Mina moving through time to see the arc of their lives from their optimistic youth through their compromises as dreams crumble or are realized.
Ahmad writes beautifully- with the eye for detail of a sociologist but the lyricism of a poet. Her prose is spare which lightens the heaviness of its ideas, and she endows her principle characters with a profound humanity - especially Faraz who is a deeply decent man trapped by class and hierarchy into being complicit with crimes which deeply revolt him. If I have one criticism it is that some of the antagonists in this book could have been given greater depth to better illuminate their motivations. This is not a book which ties up its plot lines neatly. Such an ending would be unrealistic but also a disservice to the seriousness of the narrative. However it is a novel which finds glimmers of beauty and light which - however ephemerally- dispel the darkness. Five stars plus plus plus.
May 5, 2022
Immersive first novel with insight into what the effects of the partition of Pakistan had on one family. Richly told and entwining WWII era with the 1960's, with detail of the custom of passing the life of a concubine down to daughters by denizens of the red light district and the power that can be wielded over lives. But filled with the humanity of love and memory and most especially, family.
March 28, 2022
First off thank you to Penguin Random House for my advance copy.
What an immersive ride this was. Let me tell you this is a multi-layered story of family, caste and identity, loss and love from a debut author at that! First off-I loved the setting. Taking place in Pakistan during the 60s was extremely interesting. The author does a great job with descriptive detail on the area and location of Lahore and Mohalla, were a majority of the novel takes place.
Faraz has had it rough from childhood, and we see all of the corrupt political and social strata he has climbed in order to get where he is in life and career. I felt for him and for his desire to fit in, find his family and also seek the respect and love of a father who does not have time nor care to know him. I also really enjoyed the character of Rosina. She was tough as nails, sassy and did what she had to do to survive. Hearing about the history of passing down the art of courtesan from mother to daughter was sad and difficult.
This novel blends personal family secrets with the politics of the time. While there were a lot of good things in this novel, I will say that the timeline jumps were slightly confusing, her attention to detail was sometimes too extensive and some of the character backstories were too long. I do think this was a good attempt at a debut and feel Aamina Ahmad has obvious talent.
What an immersive ride this was. Let me tell you this is a multi-layered story of family, caste and identity, loss and love from a debut author at that! First off-I loved the setting. Taking place in Pakistan during the 60s was extremely interesting. The author does a great job with descriptive detail on the area and location of Lahore and Mohalla, were a majority of the novel takes place.
Faraz has had it rough from childhood, and we see all of the corrupt political and social strata he has climbed in order to get where he is in life and career. I felt for him and for his desire to fit in, find his family and also seek the respect and love of a father who does not have time nor care to know him. I also really enjoyed the character of Rosina. She was tough as nails, sassy and did what she had to do to survive. Hearing about the history of passing down the art of courtesan from mother to daughter was sad and difficult.
This novel blends personal family secrets with the politics of the time. While there were a lot of good things in this novel, I will say that the timeline jumps were slightly confusing, her attention to detail was sometimes too extensive and some of the character backstories were too long. I do think this was a good attempt at a debut and feel Aamina Ahmad has obvious talent.
January 10, 2023
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https://www.culture21century.gr/2023/...
Παίρνοντας στα χέρια μου το εν λόγω βιβλίο, και αφού θεωρούσα πως είχα πάρει μια γεύση για το περιεχόμενό του διαβάζοντας την περίληψη, βρέθηκα μπροστά σε μια μεγάλη έκπληξη. Ίσως, μάλιστα, σε μια απ' τις μεγαλύτερες εκπλήξεις της χρονιάς που μόλις έφυγε, καθώς το περιεχόμενό του δεν αποδείχθηκε μόνο πολύ διαφορετικό απ' όσο υπέθετα ή φανταζόμουν, αλλά και πολύ βαθύτερο, ουσιαστικό και συναισθηματικό απ' όσο ήμουν έτοιμη ν' αντέξω τη δεδομένη στιγμή, αποτελώντας γροθιά που με χτύπησε στο στομάχι, αφήνοντάς με ζαλισμένη και με δεκάδες σκέψεις να κατακλύζουν το μυαλό μου, κι άλλα τόσα συναισθήματα να έχουν κατακλύσει την καρδιά μου, σε μια σύγκρουση που δεν είχε τέλος. Αν αυτό δεν είναι τεράστια επιτυχία, πόσο μάλλον για μια πρωτοεμφανιζόμενη συγγραφέα, τότε δεν ξέρω τι άλλο θα μπορούσε να είναι.
Πρωταγωνιστής της ιστορίας μας είναι ο Φαράζ Άλι, ένας αστυνομικός ντετέκτιβ, ο οποίος στέλνεται στη Λαχόρη προκειμένου να καλύψει ένα φρικτό έγκλημα σεξουαλικής βίας, με σκοπό να προστατευτεί ο δράστης, για λόγους που προφανώς ξεπερνούν τα όρια της ηθικής. Ο Φαράζ, επί της ουσίας, λειτουργεί ως μαριονέτα του πατέρα του, ο οποίος έχει υψηλή θέση την κοινωνία, και που όταν ήταν παιδί ακόμα, τον απομάκρυνε από τη γενέτηρά του και τη μητέρα του, αφού η Μοχαλά, από την οποία κατάγεται, είναι μια περιοχή όπου οι γυναίκες εξαναγκάζονται στην πορνεία, με τις κόρες τους να είναι καταδικασμένες ν' ακολουθήσουν την ίδια μοίρα στο μέλλον. Φυσικά, η μητέρα του Φαράζ, όπως και η αδερφή του, δεν αποτελούν εξαίρεση στον κανόνα. Ενώ ο Φαράζ κάνει την προσπάθειά του να εξιχνιάσει το έγκλημα, αποδίδοντας έστω κι ένα μικρό κομμάτι δικαιοσύνης, οι καταστάσεις τον φέρνουν στον δρόμο της αδερφής του, Ροζίνα, η οποία δεν έχει καταφέρει να ξεφύγει από το πεπρωμένο που της κληροδοτήθηκε από τη γέννησή της.
Οι αρχικές μας σκέψεις, όσον αφορά την ιστορία, είναι πως πρόκειται για ένα θρίλερ με έντονη ατμόσφαιρα μυστηρίου, όμως πολύ σύντομα αντιλαμβανόμαστε πως δεν είναι μόνο αυτό και πως αν ξύσεις λίγο την επιφάνεια, μπορείς να βρεις άλλα πράγματα να βρίσκονται κρυμμένα από κάτω. Η συγγραφέας μάς ταξιδεύει στον χρόνο, σε μια εξαιρετικά δύσκολη στιγμή για την Ιστορία της χώρας του Πακιστάν, και με πηγαίο ρεαλισμό και με μια φωνή που δεν διστάζει να μιλήσει για τις αλήθειες εκείνες που μόνο ομορφιά δεν κρύβουν μέσα τους, μας αφηγείται μια ιστορία ανθρώπων που έχει τις ρίζες της στην πιο σκληρή πραγματικότητα που μπορεί να φανταστεί κανείς, προσεγγίζοντάς την χωρίς ωραιοποιήσεις ή γλυκά λόγια, αλλά την ίδια στιγμή, με βαθιά ενσυναίσθηση και τρυφερότητα, εξερευνώντας σε βάθος τις ζωές όλων εκείνων των γυναικών που εξαναγκάστηκαν να γίνουν εταίρες και που με τη σειρά τους είδαν τις κόρες τους ν' ακολουθούν τα βήματά τους, μην έχοντας άλλη επιλογή, αλλά και για να είναι σε θέση να τις στηρίξουν στο μέλλον, όταν εκείνες θα μπορούσαν να στηρίξουν πλέον τους εαυτούς τους.
Η Ahmad βουτάει βαθιά στον πυρήνα της στρατιωτικής και πολιτικής πραγματικότητας του Πακιστάν της εποχής, όπου οι πρεσβευτές της ελίτ των προαναφερόμενων, εκμεταλλευόμενοι τη θέση και την υπεροχή τους, εκμεταλλεύονται τις γυναίκες που ανήκουν στα κατώτερα κοινωνικά στρώματα, και στις οποίες δεν δίνεται καμία έξοδος διαφυγής από τον βούρκο στον οποίο κάποιοι άλλοι τους έχουν καταδικάσει. Η διαφθορά κυριαρχεί και η ηθική φαντάζει να μην έχει θέση στον κόσμο αυτό, ο οποίος σαπίζει κάθε μέρα όλο και πιο πολύ, καταπίνοντας ανθρώπους, συνειδήσεις, ελευθερίες και καταπατώντας παντός είδους δικαιώματα, μα πάνω απ' όλα εκείνο της ίδιας της ζωής. Το "πάντρεμα" μυθοπλασίας και Ιστορίας είναι εξαιρετικό, καθιστώντας δυσδιάκριτο του που ξεκινάει το ένα και που τελειώνει το άλλο, κάτι που μας επιτρέπει ν' απορροφηθούμε ακόμα περισσότερο από την αφήγηση κι όχι απλά να σταθούμε ως παρατηρητές της αλήθειας της, αλλά να την βιώσουμε στο πετσί μας.
Χρησιμοποιώντας τη ζωή του Φαράζ ως κεντρικό άξονα, η συγγραφέας επιλέγει ν' αφηγηθεί την ιστορία της μέσα από τρεις διαφορετικές φωνές, χρησιμοποιώντας παράλληλα την τεχνική της αμφίδρομης αφήγησης, στοιχεία που μας επιτρέπουν τόσο το να κατανοήσουμε βαθύτερα τους Φαράζ, Ροζίνα και Βάτζιντ, τον τρόπο σκέψεις τους, το γιατί οδηγήθηκαν σε ορισμένες αποφάσεις και το πως βιώνουν γεγονότα και καταστάσεις, όσο και να έχουμε μια όσο το δυνατόν πιο πλήρη εικόνα του παρελθόντος και τον αντίκτυπο που η πορεία του έχει στο παρόν, εξερευνώντας παράλληλα τα βάρη της γονεϊκότητας, μέσα από διαφορετικά αλλά εξίσου σημαντικά πρίσματα. Πάνω απ' όλα, όμως, εξερευνούνται τα ανθρώπινα όρια και ειδικά εκείνα της ηθικής, και μέχρι που είναι διατεθειμένος να φτάσει κανείς προκειμένου να προστατέψει εκείνους που θαρρεί πως το αξίζουν, ακόμα κι αν αυτό σημαίνει πως πρέπει να θυσιάσουν την ακεραιότητα και τις αξίες τους, χάνοντας στη διαδρομή ένα κομμάτι του εαυτού τους.
https://www.culture21century.gr/2023/...
Παίρνοντας στα χέρια μου το εν λόγω βιβλίο, και αφού θεωρούσα πως είχα πάρει μια γεύση για το περιεχόμενό του διαβάζοντας την περίληψη, βρέθηκα μπροστά σε μια μεγάλη έκπληξη. Ίσως, μάλιστα, σε μια απ' τις μεγαλύτερες εκπλήξεις της χρονιάς που μόλις έφυγε, καθώς το περιεχόμενό του δεν αποδείχθηκε μόνο πολύ διαφορετικό απ' όσο υπέθετα ή φανταζόμουν, αλλά και πολύ βαθύτερο, ουσιαστικό και συναισθηματικό απ' όσο ήμουν έτοιμη ν' αντέξω τη δεδομένη στιγμή, αποτελώντας γροθιά που με χτύπησε στο στομάχι, αφήνοντάς με ζαλισμένη και με δεκάδες σκέψεις να κατακλύζουν το μυαλό μου, κι άλλα τόσα συναισθήματα να έχουν κατακλύσει την καρδιά μου, σε μια σύγκρουση που δεν είχε τέλος. Αν αυτό δεν είναι τεράστια επιτυχία, πόσο μάλλον για μια πρωτοεμφανιζόμενη συγγραφέα, τότε δεν ξέρω τι άλλο θα μπορούσε να είναι.
Πρωταγωνιστής της ιστορίας μας είναι ο Φαράζ Άλι, ένας αστυνομικός ντετέκτιβ, ο οποίος στέλνεται στη Λαχόρη προκειμένου να καλύψει ένα φρικτό έγκλημα σεξουαλικής βίας, με σκοπό να προστατευτεί ο δράστης, για λόγους που προφανώς ξεπερνούν τα όρια της ηθικής. Ο Φαράζ, επί της ουσίας, λειτουργεί ως μαριονέτα του πατέρα του, ο οποίος έχει υψηλή θέση την κοινωνία, και που όταν ήταν παιδί ακόμα, τον απομάκρυνε από τη γενέτηρά του και τη μητέρα του, αφού η Μοχαλά, από την οποία κατάγεται, είναι μια περιοχή όπου οι γυναίκες εξαναγκάζονται στην πορνεία, με τις κόρες τους να είναι καταδικασμένες ν' ακολουθήσουν την ίδια μοίρα στο μέλλον. Φυσικά, η μητέρα του Φαράζ, όπως και η αδερφή του, δεν αποτελούν εξαίρεση στον κανόνα. Ενώ ο Φαράζ κάνει την προσπάθειά του να εξιχνιάσει το έγκλημα, αποδίδοντας έστω κι ένα μικρό κομμάτι δικαιοσύνης, οι καταστάσεις τον φέρνουν στον δρόμο της αδερφής του, Ροζίνα, η οποία δεν έχει καταφέρει να ξεφύγει από το πεπρωμένο που της κληροδοτήθηκε από τη γέννησή της.
Οι αρχικές μας σκέψεις, όσον αφορά την ιστορία, είναι πως πρόκειται για ένα θρίλερ με έντονη ατμόσφαιρα μυστηρίου, όμως πολύ σύντομα αντιλαμβανόμαστε πως δεν είναι μόνο αυτό και πως αν ξύσεις λίγο την επιφάνεια, μπορείς να βρεις άλλα πράγματα να βρίσκονται κρυμμένα από κάτω. Η συγγραφέας μάς ταξιδεύει στον χρόνο, σε μια εξαιρετικά δύσκολη στιγμή για την Ιστορία της χώρας του Πακιστάν, και με πηγαίο ρεαλισμό και με μια φωνή που δεν διστάζει να μιλήσει για τις αλήθειες εκείνες που μόνο ομορφιά δεν κρύβουν μέσα τους, μας αφηγείται μια ιστορία ανθρώπων που έχει τις ρίζες της στην πιο σκληρή πραγματικότητα που μπορεί να φανταστεί κανείς, προσεγγίζοντάς την χωρίς ωραιοποιήσεις ή γλυκά λόγια, αλλά την ίδια στιγμή, με βαθιά ενσυναίσθηση και τρυφερότητα, εξερευνώντας σε βάθος τις ζωές όλων εκείνων των γυναικών που εξαναγκάστηκαν να γίνουν εταίρες και που με τη σειρά τους είδαν τις κόρες τους ν' ακολουθούν τα βήματά τους, μην έχοντας άλλη επιλογή, αλλά και για να είναι σε θέση να τις στηρίξουν στο μέλλον, όταν εκείνες θα μπορούσαν να στηρίξουν πλέον τους εαυτούς τους.
Η Ahmad βουτάει βαθιά στον πυρήνα της στρατιωτικής και πολιτικής πραγματικότητας του Πακιστάν της εποχής, όπου οι πρεσβευτές της ελίτ των προαναφερόμενων, εκμεταλλευόμενοι τη θέση και την υπεροχή τους, εκμεταλλεύονται τις γυναίκες που ανήκουν στα κατώτερα κοινωνικά στρώματα, και στις οποίες δεν δίνεται καμία έξοδος διαφυγής από τον βούρκο στον οποίο κάποιοι άλλοι τους έχουν καταδικάσει. Η διαφθορά κυριαρχεί και η ηθική φαντάζει να μην έχει θέση στον κόσμο αυτό, ο οποίος σαπίζει κάθε μέρα όλο και πιο πολύ, καταπίνοντας ανθρώπους, συνειδήσεις, ελευθερίες και καταπατώντας παντός είδους δικαιώματα, μα πάνω απ' όλα εκείνο της ίδιας της ζωής. Το "πάντρεμα" μυθοπλασίας και Ιστορίας είναι εξαιρετικό, καθιστώντας δυσδιάκριτο του που ξεκινάει το ένα και που τελειώνει το άλλο, κάτι που μας επιτρέπει ν' απορροφηθούμε ακόμα περισσότερο από την αφήγηση κι όχι απλά να σταθούμε ως παρατηρητές της αλήθειας της, αλλά να την βιώσουμε στο πετσί μας.
Χρησιμοποιώντας τη ζωή του Φαράζ ως κεντρικό άξονα, η συγγραφέας επιλέγει ν' αφηγηθεί την ιστορία της μέσα από τρεις διαφορετικές φωνές, χρησιμοποιώντας παράλληλα την τεχνική της αμφίδρομης αφήγησης, στοιχεία που μας επιτρέπουν τόσο το να κατανοήσουμε βαθύτερα τους Φαράζ, Ροζίνα και Βάτζιντ, τον τρόπο σκέψεις τους, το γιατί οδηγήθηκαν σε ορισμένες αποφάσεις και το πως βιώνουν γεγονότα και καταστάσεις, όσο και να έχουμε μια όσο το δυνατόν πιο πλήρη εικόνα του παρελθόντος και τον αντίκτυπο που η πορεία του έχει στο παρόν, εξερευνώντας παράλληλα τα βάρη της γονεϊκότητας, μέσα από διαφορετικά αλλά εξίσου σημαντικά πρίσματα. Πάνω απ' όλα, όμως, εξερευνούνται τα ανθρώπινα όρια και ειδικά εκείνα της ηθικής, και μέχρι που είναι διατεθειμένος να φτάσει κανείς προκειμένου να προστατέψει εκείνους που θαρρεί πως το αξίζουν, ακόμα κι αν αυτό σημαίνει πως πρέπει να θυσιάσουν την ακεραιότητα και τις αξίες τους, χάνοντας στη διαδρομή ένα κομμάτι του εαυτού τους.
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