Golden Legend

by Nadeem Aslam

When shots ring out on the Grand Trunk Road, Nargis's life begins to crumble around her. Her husband, Massud - a fellow architect - is caught in the crossfire and dies before she can confess to him her greatest secret. Under threat from a powerful military intelligence officer, who demands that she pardon her husband's American killer, Nargis fears that the truth about her past will soon be exposed. For weeks someone has been broadcasting people's secrets from the minarets of the city's mosques and, in a country where the accusation of blasphemy is a currency to be bartered, the mysterious broadcasts have struck fear in Christians and Muslims alike.

Against this background of violence and fear, two outsiders - the young Christian woman Helen and the mysterious Imran from Kashmir - try to find an island of calm in which their love can grow.

In his characteristically luminous prose, Nadeem Aslam reflects Pakistan's past and present in a single mirror - a story of corruption, resilience, and the hope that only love and the human spirit can offer.

Genres: Fiction, Pakistan, Religion, Contemporary, Literary Fiction, Middle East, Politics

384 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2017

About the author

Aslam was born in Pakistan in 1966 and moved to Britain at age 14. His family left Pakistan to escape President Zia's regime.

His novel Maps for Lost Lovers, winner of the Kuriyama Prize, took him more than a decade to complete. Aslam has stated that the first chapter alone took five years to complete, and that the following story in the book took seven months to complete before rejecting it. At the end, he kept only one sentence of the seventy pages written.

Aslam's latest novel, The Wasted Vigil, was published by Alfred A. Knopf in September, 2008. It is set in Afghanistan. He traveled to Afghanistan during the writing of the book; but had never visited the country before writing the first draft. On 11th February 2011, it was short-listed for the Warwick Prize For Writing.

His writings have been compared to those by Chinua Achebe, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Kiran Desai and received an Encore in 2005. He writes his drafts in longhand and prefers extreme isolation when working.

Aslam currently lives in north London.

Reviews

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

[It may be some time before I have the bandwidth to write proper reviews. Penning this one would be my first priority, when time permits.]

Until then:
I would give it ten stars if I could.
I will press it into the hands of both friends and strangers, in what, no doubt, will eventually cause deserved eye-rolls.
It will stay in my heart and mind for a long, long time.

[Hugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been following Nadeem Aslam since 2005, when I read his brilliant second novel Maps for Lost Lovers, which told a brutal story of a so-called honour killing in an English Muslim community, in luminously poetic language. That book took him ten years to write and is among my favourites.

Both of his subsequent novels addressed the wars in Afghanistan, again with a poetic brutality, so it is no surprise that this one covers similar ground, though this one is entirely set in Pakistan, apart from the back story of a character from Kashmir. There is no outright war this time but there is plenty of violence, as Aslam attempts to explain the conflicts, corruption and misunderstandings that make life there so precarious.

Throughout this book Aslam stresses the diversity of Pakistani society, both within the Muslim community and in the minority Christian community. Against this background he weaves a rather beautiful personal story - a paean to courage, integrity, resilience and tolerance against overwhelming odds. The book is full of arresting visual imagery and steeped in Eastern storytelling traditions.

I wrote this review on the phone, while half-watching the France-Belgium game - it could do with a rewrite but I don't have time for that now

[Dilushani Jayalath · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a beautifully written book and yet at the same time, what a hard story to read. For me it felt personal, despite not being someone from that country, the brutality written in those pages, strongly reflect with the brutality that happens in mine. I could have easily swapped the Imran for a Hashan, easily swapped the Lily for Imasha and we would have the same story. There won’t be any difference in it happening here. And that my friends, is the cruel reality many of us live with. As they always say, human beings are the most dangerous and vile animals out there. Nothing could surpass the cruelty human beings posses. At times wild animals can look pure next to them. They act out of instinct, without knowledge of good and bad. While humans know this and yet continue with these vile acts.

The story will take you apart and no unlike other novels, won’t put you together. You’ll be left apart, a huge hole left in the heart. Even till the end, we’re not given an answer, did our heroes survive or not? At the same time, are they heroes or not? Their souls pulled apart before they could even stand. I am sitting here, typing still thinking about the book and I know for a long time and even my whole life, I will be thinking of this.

[Ace · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story depicts in detail the violence in current day Pakistan. It is beautifully told but hard to read. It must be so hard to remain patriotic in some countries when madness seems to have taken hold of your political and religious leadership. Enough said.

[William Koon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I discovered Nadeem Aslam many years ago. He is totally delightful as a writer. He never disappoints with his intelligent and thoughtful themes. His Map for Lost Lovers remains one of my favorite novels of this century.

In The Golden Legend, he returns to his native contemporary Pakistan and writes a horror story. Basically his characters are Christians in a Muslim society. The Christians are very persecuted. But then even moderate Muslims are persecuted. The nation is a living picture of dystopia.

But people live in a dystopia and Alsam does a wonderful portrayal of the women, who are essentially outsiders in their own culture. There is Nardis, a talented architect. Aysha, a widow of a “martyr” who must forever remain a widow to honor her husband’s death. Helen who is the daughter of a Christian rickshaw driver, educated and could be something, if she were not Christian and a woman shines.

After a set-up of Nardis’s husband being assassinated and the introduction of a love affair between Lily and Aysha, the wheels get to turning.

The central part of the novel is the idyll of Nardis, Helen, and Imran, who is a renegade Kasmir rebel without a cause. They escape to an island paradise, but of course there is no escaping the corruption, the bombings, the humiliations, the assurance of theocratic rightness.

In the midst of all of this ugliness and perversity, Aslam writes some beautiful nature passages, and we become aware of what natural beauty could exist if it were not for the politics and religious passions of men.

The symbolism is oft-times heavy handed, as in the reconstruction of the book by the father of Masud, Nardis’ murdered husband. Carefully she tries to repair the work after it has been violated by an American intelligence figure. There are also famous buildings reconstructed and buildings made of paper. And books with poetic worm holes. No one said it was perfect.

I am still unsure about the last part of the novel. I firmly believe that no one should write magical realism unless your name is Garcia Marquez.

Still, the work is a near masterpiece, missing the mark enough to make the reader wish that the lines were drawn a bit wider, the field a bit longer.

[Helin Puksand · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pakistanis elav arhitektidest abielupaar jääb ühel hommikul tulevahetuse alla ja mees saab surma. Kuna tulistajaks on ameeriklane, siis pööratakse lugu poliitiliseks ja Nargis peab avalikult ameeriklasele andeks andma. See aga ei meeldi moslemitele, nii et naine saab hoituse mitte andestada. Siis aga juhtub, et mošee minaretist antakse teada, et Nargise kristlasest naaber on mošees moslemivaimuliku tütrega. See teade muidugi algatab klaperjahi kristlastele: maha põletatakse mitmed kristlaste majad, surma saavad paljud kristlased, nende seas ka lapsed.
Maailmas esinev kurjus ja sallimatus teistsuguste suhtes teevad mind kurvaks ja jõuetuks. Millegipärast ollaks sallimatud just teistsuguse armastuse suhtes - kristlane ei tohi armastada moslemit, sellele peab järgnema hirmus karistus, mille käigus saavad kannatada süütud inimesed. Ka raamatust käib läbi mõte, et selleks, et karistada ameeriklasi, tapetakse tegelikult palju pakistanlasi.
Mis mulle raamatu juures veel meeldis, oli tasakaal. Raamat ei rääkinud vaid moslemite vihast kristlaste vastu, vaid ka kristlaste vihast moslemite suhtes. Nii nagu Paikstanis käituti kristlastega, käituti Kashmiris moslemitega.
Kuna ma ei tea Pakistanist midagi, siis oleksin tahtnud Pakistanist veelgi rohkem teada saada. Millegipärast ei ole enam kombeks raamatutesse kommentaare lisada - loeksin neid huviga. Raamatus kasutati ka urdukeelseid sõnu, kuid need olid tõlkimata jäänud. Mõne sõna tähenduse võis ära arvata, aga mõni jäigi teadmata. Kuna loen enamasti enne magama minekut, siis telefon on teises toas, nii et ei hakanud ka guugeldama.
Kokkuvõtteks võib öelda, et tegemist on tõesti ilusa ja valusa raamatuga. Soovitan lugeda kõigil, kes vähegi tunnevad huvi teiste maade eluolu vastu. Ise jään ootama nüüd aga piirangute lõppu, et saaks minna Haapsalu lähedale Võntkülla pakistani retsorani Peshawari Tandoori Aasia Köök - toit on seal tõesti maitsev. :)

[Eric Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve greatly admired Nadeem Aslam’s writing since I read his 2004 novel “Maps for Lost Lovers” which focused on an immigrant Pakistani community in the north of England. There is something so striking about his use of imagery which conveys the feelings of his characters and expresses the ideas which they are wrestling with. His novels are intricate, layered with diverse references and wrestle with pressing political dilemmas, but at the heart of his writing are compelling dramatic stories of individuals simply trying to live and love each other in challenging circumstances. It feels like his new novel “The Golden Legend” is his most violent and heartrending yet. It’s set in Pakistan and concerns several individuals caught in the middle of a fraught religious struggle. An architect named Nargis hides a dangerous secret which she must reckon with when her Christian friends Helen and her father Lily find themselves embroiled in a serious conflict with the strict Muslims of the community. Together with a young ex-militant man named Imran from Kashmir, they escape to a forgotten place of refuge – inevitably they are unable to remain hidden from the larger world forever.

Read my full review of The Golden Legend by Nadeem Aslam on LonesomeReader

[Calzean · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book cover says the author uses "luminous prose". Totally correct.
Modern day Pakistan is hard to work out and this book does a frightening good job in depicting the corruption, various Islamic factions killing each other, the impact of the US drone strikes and support of the government, intimidation of citizens, the dangers of being in a minority and the disappearance of critics. One of the characters comes from Kashmir and the Indian government's actions against it's Muslim citizens is also shamed.
It's a brutal portrayal of a country, full of sadness with the fate of the main characters masked by doom from the start.

[Saloni · Rating 4 out of 5]

We live in a difficult world and it is up to writers and artists to make it worth living in, even while engaging with the worst it has to offer. Aslam's latest is almost morbid in the way it connects to the unreal everyday of life in Pakistan and in neighbouring Kashmir. It is brutal. It is difficult to read. It is impossible to ignore.
And yet, as he often does, the text makes you want to believe in the possibility of hope and redemption and love.
This isn't a pretty book. It does have a pretty book in it, though. Do read.

[Stasha Neagu · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found that the Golden Legend tried to touch on many themes and make many points in a delicately poetic style of writing, too many perhaps to remain coherent. I kept thinking about the quote on the cover page that said "There is no greater denier of God than he who accepts injustice instead of rebelling." That was perhaps the "golden" thread that tied the narrative together. Despite and in spite of odds its characters face in a place where uncertainty and violence is part of a daily life, each of these characters rebel in their own way against conditions imposed on them by fact of birth or circumstance.
"The believer in the mosque is like a fish in the water. The hypocrite in the mosque is like a bird in a cage."
Lily and Aysha deny the world to cage them into their separate existances within their communities in which they were born. Helen and Moscow rebel against the world full of violence and prejudice they were handed down by their parents and grandparents. Nargis finally came out of the cage she imposed on herself by pretending to be someone she was not and lead a life worthy of her capabilties. Bishop Solomon, whom we learn about early on but do not get to know until almost the end of the book, leaves a strong message for the reader. "It was the idea that man was a brother to man. ..I love you not because you are my neighbour but because you are my brother..I love you not because you offer me guidance and food but because you are my brother..." . Question remains why our past and our present do not reflect this knowledge but instead try to prove it wrong.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't feel capable of writing a brief summary of this book as it is a book that profoundly encompasses the entirety of man's historical attempts to worship within cultural and political confines, but more specifically within this story, under a Muslim regime. The main characters are defined with such a refined level of compassion and understanding for all societal levels as well as genders, that their life events can easily pierce the soul of the reader.

I am deeply moved. This book covers very difficult topics including difficulties experienced by Christians in a Muslim state, suicide bombers, police cruelty, torture, rape, murder, theft. It also covers the beauty of books, kindness in the face of threat, love when forbidden and family ties that cannot be cut asunder.

[Penny (Literary Hoarders) · Rating 4 out of 5]

To say this is a timely read is an understatement. The capacity for violence and hate in humans and to use that hatred and violence in the name of religion, any religion, is terribly sad making. A sad and melancholic ending.

[Ubik 2.0 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Il livido sulla fronte

Ancora una volta Nadeem Aslam ci trasporta nel cuore del Pakistan, la sua patria originaria, di cui pur essendosi trasferito da decenni in Inghilterra non riesce evidentemente a dimenticare i vincoli più profondi.
Continua a descriverci , attraverso le sue storie di gente comune, le ripercussioni dell’integralismo sulla vita di ogni giorno che condizionano, in misura a noi quasi incomprensibile, destini, aspirazioni, passioni, soprattutto il desiderio di una vita pacifica di convivenza a cui nonostante tutto, o proprio a causa di tutto, gran parte della popolazione anela.

Rispetto ai primi romanzi, in primo luogo Mappe per amanti smarriti che credo rimanga la sua opera migliore, Aslam sembra avere ridotto l’attenzione alla psicologia dei personaggi, che qui appaiono vagamenti stereotipati, rispetto alla realtà del quadro d’insieme che passa ancor più in primo piano. Ne risulta inevitabilmente un romanzo più interessante che appassionante dove, avvalendosi della sua esperienza, l’autore mira a farci comprendere un mondo caratterizzato da aspetti estremamente controversi e variegati.

Colpiscono l’attenzione i livelli di intransigenza sempre più folli con i quali l’integralismo religioso, rappresentato da una minoranza di fanatici, impone a tutto il paese la propria claustrofobica visione dell’esistenza. Emblematico a tal proposito “il livido sulla fronte” che contraddistingue i più invasati, auto inflitto tramite l’esecuzione particolarmente violenta e reiterata della genuflessione di preghiera e che diventa un segno di “devozione” ostentato e minaccioso verso il prossimo. Attentati suicidi che colpiscono luoghi di culto non solo cristiani o ebraici, ma anche di altre correnti spirituali islamiche, come l’esplosione che uccide decine di fedeli presso il mausoleo Sufi di Charagar, negozi pavimentati con mattonelle che rappresentano bandiere di Stati Uniti, Israele, Danimarca (è il periodo delle vignette danesi sullo Jyllands-Posten) per manifestare il disprezzo calpestandole, accuse di blasfemia con minaccia di arresto per qualunque comportamento ritenuto non perfettamente conforme ai dettami imposti dal fondamentalismo.

In definitiva l’atmosfera che si respira nell’immaginaria città di “Zamana” (che credo rappresenti Lahore) è illustrata con efficacia e determina empatia e profonda compassione per la comunità nel suo complesso, ma il romanzo vero e proprio, l’interesse del lettore per le vicende che coinvolgono Nargis, Imram, Helen e gli altri protagonisti, sfuma pian piano in direzione opposta, verso una progressiva rassegnazione, fatalismo o addirittura indifferenza.

[Ellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The mass graves of Kashmiris, who had been killed and buried in secret by Indian soldiers, were beginning to be discovered by then, and thousands of young men were missing - either murdered, or crossing the border into Pakistan for guerilla training. The grandfather began to advise everyone to carry bulbs and seeds in their pockets, and to inform their family and friends what specific plants each was carrying upon their person, in order that they would know what flowers to look for after the Indian soldiers had tortured them to death."

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been putting off this review for the longest time, because I wasn't sure what I wanted to say about religious differences. I thought it would come to me. It still hasn't, so I'll call this my initial review and edit later (when and if).

This was my first time reading Nadeem Aslam, and I must say I did not know what I was getting into, both in regard to the writing (sublime) and the story (unexpected). I'm so happy to know I have a few more books to look forward to. However I have read Pakistan a number of times, enough to know that this is something special. Aslam's imagery is realistic in that it shows us a Pakistan we are familiar with from the media, but also unique in its ability to surprise. This works both ways. He punches the reader with scenes of the grimmest violence, but also delights with the beauty of his characters' everyday lives. A couple of examples that are going to stay with me, on the delight end of the spectrum, are the suspended winter desks in the library of Nargis & Massud, and the sunlight filtering through the dusty interior of the museum of glass flowers. But there are so many more.

In terms of the story, I don't think I realised this was going to be about people from one of the other minority religions in Pakistan, i.e. not Hindus. This is the aspect I'm still mulling over. It's not that I have any strong religious affiliations of my own, but simply that it has allowed me to view Pakistan as more than two-dimensional, for perhaps the first time. I have a lot of homework to do.

Highly recommended.

[Red Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tremendous read and one of the best novels (though I also marked it as historical fiction as there were enough parts - like the interweaving of the American "diplomat" taken into custody in Pakistan - to give the story some historical backdrop) of the year.

Not only was the story compelling, but Aslam is able to bring out the nuance in multiple characters, and also delve deeply enough into the Kashmir question, and the impact of the situation in Afghanistan on Pakistan domestically, and examine the treatment of religious minorities etc. That is a lot of character development and issue examination in one book, so well done.

Some interesting segments:

Helen after the death of her mother, Grace: "She knew she would never really recover. It was as though her pen ran out of ink while writing a letter. She had picked up another containing ink of a different colour and continued; but even if the words and the lines of thought remained the same, something had altered."

The brother of a main character, a writer who was killed for his writing, would write in all of his notebooks, "War will drown in the writer's inkwell."

On the failures of Pakistan: "And she felt a sense of shame, something akin to accusation from them towards her and her generation, for not having constructed a better world to welcome and contain their beauty, to house their spirit."

On the general idea of the different religions, races, ethnicities and people becoming one: "That was how one continent poured itself into another. How one person carried the answer through his life until he met the person who was carrying the question."

[Old Man JP · Rating 4 out of 5]

If all religions were practiced in the manner, of say, Jimmy Carter or the Dali Llama I would have no problems with them and would actually admire them but they are not. As far as I can tell, most sharply deviate from this standard and become more and more abhorrent. They start becoming an excuse for many to practice bigotry and discrimination or, in other cases, as with the prosperity gospel, become a way to con the gullible into financing mansions and jets. From this point they continue on into hatred and eventually violence. That's where this book comes in. Aslam focuses on primarily the corruption and murderous conduct of much of Islam as practiced in Pakistan. Although this is his primary focus he also illustrates similar conduct by the Christians and Hindus when they are given the chance. The book is beautifully written by Aslam in his sparse prose which works well with the subject matter. The story is about a woman who is Christian but when in college began passing as Muslim and continued with this pretense on into her later life which eventually led to dire consequences. A very suspenseful and disturbing read but enjoyable.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

In shimmering and exquisite prose the author rails against the various forms of religious bigotry and hatred in a dystopian Pakistan: a wife, Nargis,and her Muslim husband, Masood, who are architects where Nargis lives a lie--a Christian taking on a Muslim identity; a young Christian girl, Helen, they consider their protégé; her widowed father, Lily, in love with a Muslim cleric's daughter and she him; the love between Helen and a young Kashmiri, Imran, a former guerrilla fighter. His ideals have been betrayed by the training camp but not lost completely. Absolutely unforgettable story and characters! Although not completely clear towards its finale, the story ends on a note of optimism. A book written by Masood's father, telling of how all cultures have borrowed from each other and from that we can assume that all men are at base, brothers, figures strongly in the novel.

Highly recommended.

[Rachel Watts · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel is a stunning work. It tells a story both wide, and spread over centuries, and very intimate. That Aslam manages to step across that gulf so easily, and so frequently, is an incredible achievement. The book that Massud is holding when he is shot was authored by his own father. It is a book of the commonalities of humanity, the lore, the fables and, yes, the religious beliefs, that are interchanged between nationalities, cultures and faiths. And this book, destroyed and painstakingly stitched back together with gold thread, offers Aslam the focal point that makes his story both very specific and universal. The sense of place is breathtaking, the prose is beautiful and heartbreaking.

Full review here: http://leatherboundpounds.com/2017/01...

[Chavelli Sulikowska · Rating 4 out of 5]

It starts with a death. It is clear from the beginning that this novel will literally rasp on the nerves until the end.

How cruel the world can be. An incredibly well crafted novel that similar to Aslam's earlier novels (which I am yet to indulge in) that clearly depicts the irrational, depraved and ultimately frightening state of today's world - a schism of sectarian violence and uncertainty.

The reader is literally thrown into the story, taking part in the chaos, tragedy and exposed to the high octane fear and incertitude experienced by the very real characters. An exceptionally crafted and all consuming bare to the bone story.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4.5) Beautiful, riveting, and almost unbearable. I kept skimming ahead, anxious about what would happen to much loved characters. I wouldn't say that art makes sense of suffering. But it does engage the reader's compassion, our ability to imaginatively feel with others. Aslam does the kind of storytelling that builds compassion and hopefully, eventually, peace. I loved the central symbol of kintsugi, mending rifts with golden threads.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so beautifully written, sometimes I would stop in awe and read phrases over and over, just to soak up the imagery, the felicitous perfect choice of words.
Learned a lot about Pakistan, Kashmir. Highly recommend.

[Shawn Mooney (Shawn Breathes Books)]

A lot of sadness and tragedy. Some impressively intricate storytelling. But I was not made to care about anyone or anything beyond what I would reading sad, tragic news articles. A novel must pull more of me in. Bailed just under halfway through.

[Renita D'Silva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard hitting and thought provoking

[Katia N · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars from me

I was disappointed by this book. The first 20 pages are really promising, and I am interested in the subject matter. The novel is set in the modern day Pakistan. But after a good start it went downhill for me. The violent act after violent act, the horror, after horror, after horror - and all of this without deeper psychology or desire to analyse each of these acts. There is a clear divide between “good’ characters and “bad” characters which seems as a simplification to me. Some characters seem to appear only to be killed or commit suicide in the next page. The main characters do not seem to have very deep feelings related to those endless deaths. Maybe because of the sheer amount of violence and the characters’ attitude I stopped to empathise with anyone in this novel pretty soon. For the realistic rendering of the situation it is too much in one go which makes the novel grasping for coherence. If it is used as the symbolism, it is not subtle enough.

Some visual images Aslam creates in the novel are really beautiful. There are some interesting ideas as well. For example, the one minor character says he does not despair yet about his country because he does not feel he made enough for this country be better place. I would be interested to read more expanded discussion about it. Some facts he shares are really interesting. But the novel as a whole has got too much symbolism and lacks the depth for me. The novel mentions that in spite of all the horror the ordinary Pakistanis “finding pockets of love and comfort within the strict laws governing them”. I wish these quite human emotions would be more visible in the book.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Aslam portrays the horror of extremism in modern Pakistan, where not only the Christian minority is persecuted, but moderate Muslims too, and in neighbouring Kashmir Muslims are on the receiving end of violence and torture. Persecution is extreme: beheadings, whippings, stonings. Americans (and allies) meanwhile can drone bomb and assassinate and get away with it. Within this setting love, particularly any love that crosses religious boundaries is almost impossible, but this is the force behind the characters richly portrayed here, on the run, willing to sacrifice themselves to save others, to have one more day together. Art - in particular architecture - is a saving grace too, beauty is revered and protected as much as possible in the context of so much savagery. E.g. The pages of an aesthetically valuable book portraying the cross fertilisation of cultures is slashed by soldiers and lovingly sewed back together by each of the characters. Sounds a bit heavy on the symbolism? It is. There are also great gobbets of history chucked in which in a lesser book would have sunk it. Not this one, this is a must read for any interested in the region (and who can't be today?) and how the conflicts must be resolved and extremism overcome in order for not only love, but the enrichments of culture and day to day life to thrive again. A plea and a testament from a great writer.

[Archana Thallikar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Minorities in all countries face problems. What I got from this book was an insight into that world. The world of minorities in a country. Be it India or Pakistan or Bangladesh. Most of it is government driven, power driven. But it’s the common people who suffer. You can see that love between two human beings have no boundaries, no religion, no sect. Years of hatred that is passed down generations and mix it with mob mentality is a deadly combination. How can we, as a human race rise above this?

[S · Rating 5 out of 5]

A friend recommended this book (literally placing it in my hands) and said, 'I think you'll like it'. Which I did. I also hated it: being a Pakistani it was too close to home. I wish I could say to people that Aslam over exaggerated when writing about the violence in Pakistan but that would be untrue. What did surprise me was the abundance of love nestled within the pages - the kind that reminds you of the life within you - yes I had forgotten all the good things about my home land.

[Stuart]

This is a finely crafted new novel. It probably won't get much attention in the US, but I wish it would.

[Giuls (la_fisiolettrice) · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Era così che un continente si riversava in un altro. Era così che una persona si portava dietro la risposta per tutta la vita finché non incontrava la persona che portava con sé la domanda.”
 
La bellezza di questo romanzo è nella capacità di riparare, l’arte del kintsugi ma con i libri e con l’anima. La difficile convivenza tra musulmani e cristiani in Pakistan, le lotte per la rivendicazione dei territori del Kashmir fanno da sfondo alla vita dei personaggi, esistenze che si intersecano ricordandoci che abbiamo tutti la stessa destinazione anche se le strade per arrivarci sono diverse.
 
Leggere è una magia e i personaggi di Aslam restano nel cuore. Mi ha colpito come riesce a portare dentro la narrazione la presenza di personaggi che di fatto non ci sono più, Grace e Massud permeano con i loro insegnamenti e con le loro parole, le esistenze di Nargis e Helen.
 
Se dovessi dire di cosa parla questo libro direi di bellezza e di quanto fare la propria parte per cambiare lo stato delle cose è amare. È una storia che inizia con un attentato e mostra come la giustizia sia polarizzata dalla violenza. Ci sono le minoranze che cercano di fare meno rumore possibile e i segreti, celati per caso ma mantenuti per sopravvivenza. Un amore clandestino diventa la scintilla per causare un incendio e cambiare per sempre la vita dei personaggi.

Una storia di legami oltre il tempo e lo spazio, di luoghi che scivolano via dalla memoria, di risposte che hanno perso le domande e le aspettano ancora.