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The Boy With The Patang
The Boy With The Patang begins in India in the late 1960’s. It tells of the marriage between Sahira and Sami.
Sahira is a daughter of the wealthy Shamshad family and is regarded as an enigma by other members of her social circle; challenging, as she does, the conventional expectations of the society that she has been born into.
The relationship between Sahira and her new husband is a good one, built on friendship and understanding, rather than love and passion. The couple move to England for the purposes of Sami’s business plans, where life for Sahira moves at a fairly easy pace in all respects except the one: as much as she respects, and is fond of Sami, she cannot love him. This dilemma is further heightened when, whilst holidaying in Andalusia, Sahira finds herself dangerously drawn to an Englishman. The consequences of this attraction are devastating and cause Sahira to revise how she views both her marriage and Sami.
This novel follows the course of a semi-arranged marriage, whereby Sahira enters her marriage willingly, but finds that she cannot fulfil the traditional role of an Indian housewife. She is unable to find the love and passion that traditionally go with this. Through the words of Sahira, the novel explores how it is that a marriage, which should have been happy and fulfilling, is flawed in a way that reflects Sahira’s own complex personality.
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Sahira is a daughter of the wealthy Shamshad family and is regarded as an enigma by other members of her social circle; challenging, as she does, the conventional expectations of the society that she has been born into.
The relationship between Sahira and her new husband is a good one, built on friendship and understanding, rather than love and passion. The couple move to England for the purposes of Sami’s business plans, where life for Sahira moves at a fairly easy pace in all respects except the one: as much as she respects, and is fond of Sami, she cannot love him. This dilemma is further heightened when, whilst holidaying in Andalusia, Sahira finds herself dangerously drawn to an Englishman. The consequences of this attraction are devastating and cause Sahira to revise how she views both her marriage and Sami.
This novel follows the course of a semi-arranged marriage, whereby Sahira enters her marriage willingly, but finds that she cannot fulfil the traditional role of an Indian housewife. She is unable to find the love and passion that traditionally go with this. Through the words of Sahira, the novel explores how it is that a marriage, which should have been happy and fulfilling, is flawed in a way that reflects Sahira’s own complex personality.
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First published June 24, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 14, 2016
I was lucky enough to receive a copy of this wonderful book as an ARC from TBC on Facebook in exchange for an impartial review. I absolutely loved it! Zarina is an excellent author with a real skill with words. She takes you from India to Leeds, and then to Spain painting a wonderful picture of each country and culture. If you are expecting an action/adventure/murder mystery type book then this is not for you. However if you like to read an honest, and beautifully drawn picture of the life and loves of a girl separated from her home and family, and see life through her eyes, you will love this book. A fabulous book with an inevitable conclusion, which left me wanting to know more. This is an author to watch.
May 29, 2016
I received this as an arc from the book club ( tbc ) on fb in exchange for an honest review.
on a rooftop in sikimpur, a young boy and girl fly kites. Some years later they meet again on their wedding day.
Very good read.
I liked the story and the characters.
I liked sahira.
She was my favourite character.
This is a lovely and moving story.
I really felt for sahira.
I liked the ending too.
Very moving story.
This is a must read and I would highly recommend this book.
Definitely worth more than 5 *. .
on a rooftop in sikimpur, a young boy and girl fly kites. Some years later they meet again on their wedding day.
Very good read.
I liked the story and the characters.
I liked sahira.
She was my favourite character.
This is a lovely and moving story.
I really felt for sahira.
I liked the ending too.
Very moving story.
This is a must read and I would highly recommend this book.
Definitely worth more than 5 *. .
June 9, 2016
I was lucky enough to receive this as an ARC from The Book Club in return for an honest review. I found this book to be a bit of a slow burner - when I first started reading it, my mind kept thinking I wonder where this story is going. But it is a beautiful story which culminates in a brilliant and powerful ending where love triumphs over everything. I really enjoyed the meandering route that the story took. This is a solid 4 stars from me and I would recommend people add it to their 'to be read' collection immediately!!
September 20, 2016
I enjoyed this book immensely. There were parts, particularly the sections set in India where I could not put the book down. The writing was so descriptive in the detail of everyday life that I felt I could have been there and it was enchanting in those sections. I loved the story and there were some unexpected twists I just did not see coming at all. A very good first novel, can’t wait for the next one.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews