Beyond the Fields

by Aysha Baqir

Beyond the Fields is a gripping tale of resilience and reclaiming honor in which the rape of a fifteen-year-old girl living in a remote village of Pakistan drives her twin sister on a dangerous quest for justice. Set in the early 1980s against the backdrop of martial law and social turmoil, Beyond the Fields, brings up close the fears and hopes of women in Pakistan. It is a riveting and timely look at profound inequality, traditions that disempower women in our world, and survival as a dance to the beat of a different future. Born to a poor, landless farmer in the month of the monsoon rains, twins Zara and Tara grow up amongst the fields of wheat and cotton in a remote village in Pakistan. During an afternoon spree of games, Tara is kidnapped from the fields and raped. All seems to be resolved after her parents accept an unexpected marriage proposal for their “dishonored” daughter. But the nightmare resurfaces when a newspaper clipping emerges, calling the union into question. Determined to rescue her twin, Zara embarks on a harrowing quest for justice, battling keepers of a culture that upholds propriety above all else and braving the unknown dangers of an urban centre.

Genres: Pakistan

232 pages, Paperback

Published October 7, 2019

About the author

Aysha grew up in Pakistan. Graduating as valedictorian of her class, she won a scholarship to Mount Holyoke College, where she studied International Relations. Her time in college sparked a passion for economic development, and upon her return to Pakistan, she saw that the poor needed access to economic resources and networks before they could voice their demands for social justice.

In 1998, armed with an MBA, she founded a pioneering not for profit economic development organization, Kaarvan Crafts Foundation, focused on poverty alleviation through the provision of business development and market-focused trainings for girls and women. In 2013 she relocated to Singapore. She is on the Board of Kaarvan Crafts Foundation, an Ashoka Fellow and a member of Singapore Writers Group.

During the time she spent in the villages, her life interfaced closely with girls and women and her admiration and respect for their determination, strength and humor in times of despair grew immensely — with so little they managed to achieve so much. The characters in her debut novel Beyond the Fields challenge the roles that have been defined for them, determined instead to persevere and achieve their dreams. She is currently working on her second novel.

Reviews

[Rakhi Dalal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recently, an instagram handle questioned women: “No Men for One day — What if there were no men for 24 hours?” Majority of the women replied that they would go for a walk alone. And this is the year 2020. We are living in a so called modern world where women are now freer than ever to pursue their ambitions and make a life of their own. But what does this fear of going out alone, for such a small task as an evening walk alone, tells us about our social system. If educated, independent women feel uneasy venturing out of their houses alone in advanced societies, then it isn’t difficult to imagine what women in socially and politically repressive systems go through.

In her debut novel, Aysha Baqir steers the reader’s gaze to a small village in 1980’s Pakistan, chronicling the lives of rural women whose existence was sanctified by the written and unwritten rules of the society. It was the time of Zia-ul-Haq’s reign and much controversial Hudood Ordinances.

Please read the full review which appeared in Borderless Journal here:

https://borderlessjournal.com/2020/09...

[Mangrove Toucan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A loved this book. Beautifully written, the author transports you to conservative rural Pakistan and through wonderful story telling addresses difficult topics of women’s rights, social expectations and family ties. Although the characters go through great hardship at the end of the day I feel it is an optimistic book, encouraging girls to dream big.

Reminds me of Khaled Husseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns and the Kite Runner.

[Clive Hawkswood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really well written novel that provides a fascinating insight into the not too distant history of Pakistan and, in particular, the place of women in society. The story itself is gripping from the start and follows a young woman’s journey from the rural heartlands to the heart of the city. Her backstory and that of her family are gradually revealed with the driver for change being the rape of her sister. It really opens up a new and very alien world for those not familiar with the situation, not just there but apparently in other parts of the sub-continent. The details provide an immersive reading experience with really well drawn characters and a credible young heroine. I’d recommend it to anyone.

[Huma IZ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found it a good read into simple life in rural Pakistan which is made complicated by society, political situation and laws.

[Mary Elizabeth Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Story telling can be a powerful way to get a message out to the world. Beyond the Fields is just such a story. Set in a rural village in the Punjab area of Pakistan, this is the tale of twin sisters growing up in the early 1980s. They live in a mud hut with parents and brother, seemingly without services of any kind. Life is hard, the landlord and his thugs an omnipresent threat. The overarching atmosphere is one of repression and corruption within what must be called a rape culture. Pakistan was under harsh Islamic military rule at the time. Village life is also one of violent repression, strict adherence to the rules of proper behaviour and an extreme view of the importance of family honour. Girls are routinely denied an education and there is intense societal pressure to marry them off as young as 12. To this day, I read on one authoritative website, it is still extremely difficult for girls to obtain an education in Pakistan. By Grade Six, only 40% of girls are in school, and that drops to 13% by the first year of high school.
Amidst these harsh surroundings, 15 year old Zara and to a lesser extent her fairer twin, Tara, find small joys in their life of endless toil. Running free in the fields is one such forbidden pleasure, which leads to disaster for Tara when she is attacked and raped. To deter scandal and the loss of family honour, she is removed from her home and married off.
The mother of the girls, whilst upholding some of the most restrictive traditions, does allow Zara to study, albeit in secret, and she proactively keeps the secret. In one passage, the village women are aghast that apparently Zara knows how to read. "Oh no", says the mother, "she has just picked up a few words from her brother."
The first half paints a detailed picture of the daily life of this family, An array of nosy neighbours and concerned relatives play a part. The pace picks up considerably in the second half, as feisty Zara, with the help of her ever-sympathetic brother Omer, sets off to rescue her twin.
Aysha Bakir makes an effort to provide balance. She observes on several occasions that the Muslim faith gives rights to women and does not condone violence. Some of the male characters are understanding and sympathetic to the girls. Some of the women are the most rigid in their views.
There is a large cast of supporting characters, and I had difficulty keeping track of them. I am not familiar with the honorifics, and for much of the book, thought that 'Chacha' was a family surname. In fact, it means "uncle". I would have welcomed a glossary.
This is Aysha Bakir's first novel, and it is beautifully written, thoroughly and professional edited. Author Bakir spent five years working in Pakistani villages as a development consultant and saw first hand the plight of young girls and their often brave efforts to overcome the obstacles they faced. She has turned that experience into a compelling book.

[bookswithchaipai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tara and Zara. Inseparable. Born a few minutes apart but as different as night and day. An innocent hide and seek game on a bright and sunny day leads to the rape of Zara, and the sequence of events that follows leads to the agony of countless people. Tara's quest for the truth brings with it anguish, but she comes out triumphant, as a result changing her parents' outlook.

Is it the girls' fault she is raped? Why would the villagers beat her up if they find out?
Why does a man have complete discretion on how he treats his wife, even if it means employing her in a brothel?
Why do girls have to study undercover? Why would tongues wag if the villagers find out, reducing her marriage prospects?
Why is a son more precious than a daughter?
Why does Tara have to work as the help in a huge bungalow, where festive food is cooked all day, but is given a small bowl of rice and lentils to eat?
How can a girl get married without seeing her husband's face?
Why can't a girl get married without a huge dowry to her name,?

These are some of the concerns tackled in this book by depicting it in an immersive village scenario, filled with familial love, daily chores, & village politics. Honor killings happen aplenty even in this age because families cannot face the shame of divorced or raped daughters. Drugging girls so that they can be submissive is another horror that added to my shock.


Tara is a breath of fresh air in a dismal surrounding embroiled in religious customs. She surreptitiously read a lot of classics and is worldly-wise at the tender age of 13. Her determination to go to school, her bravado to find her sister and then break her out of a dangerous situation, deserves a pat on the back. I was in awe of how she stood up to her values and did her best in every unfortunate situation.

This is not just a run-of-the-mill story with an oft-used rape trope and its ill effects. It is the story of a girl who has dreams sparkling in her eyes, a lion's roar in her heart, and the will to turn the tide in the name of justice and love.

[LitPick Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Taking the reader into Pakistan of the 1980s, Beyond the Fields by Aysha Baqir is a transforming and eye-opening read. The novel is told through Zara, a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl growing up in a poor village steeped in family, religious, and governmental traditions she doesn't understand and refuses to believe. Zara wishes to be more than the life her mother has planned for her: a dutiful wife to a rich man. She is attempting to escape this through her secret studies with her older brother, Omer.

Everything appears to be on track for Zara attending an all-girls' school in the neighboring town when tragedy strikes. When Zara's twin sister, Tara, is raped and left for dead, their parents make a decision that will change everything. Now Zara is on a mission to find and save her sister, while still trying to save herself from the beliefs and laws that have trapped the rest of her family.

Will Zara be able to rescue her beloved twin? Will she ever find the future she so desperately seeks?
Opinion:
Beyond the Fields was a very easy novel to get sucked into. Beginning the story in the middle, Aysha Baqir creates suspense and an intense desire to discover what Zara is running from or to. As the story rewinds and takes you back to the dusty roadways of Zara and Tara's village, you quickly become enmeshed in a culture and society very different from your own.

Not knowing a lot about the governmental structure of Pakistan in the 1980s, I found myself getting angry or frustrated at the obstacles in Zara's path. The moment when Zara mentions Neil Armstrong's walk on the moon in contrast with their non-electrical lives, I was shocked. I had almost forgotten I was not reading a novel set one hundred years ago, but a mere forty.

Due to some graphic content, I would recommend this book to anyone over the age of 15. Women and girls will find special meaning in Zara's heroic journey.

[Kulchu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I personally feel that “Beyond the Fields” should be translated into Urdu, all regional dialects and included in the syllabus for students throughout Pakistan. It is our reality.

Instead of becoming anaesthetised to reading or hearing about honour killings, child marriages or brutal rapes through media, as a nation we have to empathise with victims and their families and condemn these acts to change our reality. Beyond the Fields helps us do exactly that.

Through the eyes of a young daughter, Tara, Aysha Baqir skilfully narrates how the trauma of rape cripples the life not only of her twin Zara but their entire family, a low income family living in rural Pakistan. Their struggles culminate in victory of overcoming social and cultural constraints defined by incorrect religious stereotypes and deep rooted injustices that stem from patriarchal norms.

Set in the backdrop of an oppressive martial law government and incomprehensibly unjust legal framework of the Hudood Ordinance, which penalises rape victims instead of offenders, this miraculous story offers reassuring promises of resilience, hope and justice.

Positive and progressive male role models emerge in the form of a teacher, maulvi and family members who illustrate worthy role models for Pakistani boys and men to emulate. Readers will find this a gripping story that inspires one to address injustice, abandon unnecessarily oppressive traditions and embrace social norms that promote equity and inclusion.

I strongly recommend that you read this book and

[Laura Koerber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beyond the Fields deserves a wide audience. It’s a beautifully written, heart-breaking and insightful look into the lives of the people of Pakistan.
The author has a gift for language. The sentences flow, each word chosen for its purpose, each detail contributing a little color to the design of the whole. I have rarely read a book so well written.
The story concerns twin girls against the background of religious conservatism that defines them as the homemakers and mothers and demonizes their sexuality while negating their talents. Some may take this as an anti-Islam book, but that would show ignorance. Traditional agricultural societies in many parts of the world have the same rigid definitions of gender role combined with the same fear of female sexuality, regardless of religion. In this book, other sources of oppression are evident as well: the snobbery of the city people toward the rural people, the barrier of lack of education, and the greed and brutality of local landowners in rural areas. The twins are downtrodden by many social forces.
While often an uncomfortable read, the book does end on an upward note. I highly recommend beyond the fields and hope the author finds many readers.

[Fazila Karim]

We read this book for our book club meeting here is some feedback!
Everyone enjoyed the book, ‘read it in two days!, loved the easy style of writing’, ‘writing in the first person made it more personal’ etc
Generally, it was agreed that you tackled several serious and relevant issues in our society in a very interesting manner. One of our members likened it to an artist whose painting had the perfect balance of light and dark! The dark issues were present throughout your storyline as was the the positive light shining through the heroine, whose unswerving focus and determination finally triumphed in spite of all adversity!! It’s a story which encompasses crimes/ordeals which most of us simply skim over in our daily newspapers. But, your novel, has humanized it for us by inspiring a special empathy for the difficulties our women face, the brave and enormous sacrifices made which do finally result in the empowerment of our Pakistani women !
On a negative note , some felt the story dashed to an abrupt end and would have liked to see a bit more depth in the supporting characters.
All our members congratulate you and look forward to your next novel !

[Diana Febry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A harrowing and shocking story about a family living in rural Pakistan in the 1980s.
The central story was the heart-breaking tale of two twins. They are both abused and denied their human rights by the cultural and religious society they were born into. Their status as women and their prospects diminishing under a regime controlled by men and reinforced by religion. Their lot to be good, subservient wives to the men chosen for them. The relationship between the sisters and Zara's determination to find her sister shone a light in a dark read.
How little the family had compared to our expectations in the western world was a culture shock. The book gave great insight into their way of life.
To be fair to the male characters, their lives were almost as controlled by religion, the cultural expectations and the overriding need to protect their good name amongst their peers.
The story ends on a promising note with plans for the setting up of a new school which will allow girls.
An interesting read.

[Sapna Advani · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book resonated with me in so many ways that I couldn't have imagined when I first opened it.

It is a story told with deceptive ease. Tackling these complex socio-cultural, religious, ideological, caste and class lines comes from a deep understanding of the milieu. The author knows her characters and tells their story with clarity and honesty. I particularly enjoyed the juxtaposition of the women characters, each trapped in her own reality.

I grew up in urban India, yet there were moments in the book where I was back in my grandmother's summertime garden - waiting under the trees for parrots to chew off raw mangoes into our cupped hands, or for a cousin high up in the tree to shake a laden branch. It surprised me how many times I stopped reading to go back in time to a long-forgotten auntie's mannerisms, or a smell, or a taste.

I would recommend this book - for its easy prose and deep-seated truths. Well done, Aysha Baqir!

[Teca Galvao · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book tells the story of a girl/young woman born in a village in Pakista, in the 80s. Unlike most other women, she makes and takes opportunities to study and go beyond what´s set for her: marriage and conformity. The daily lives of the characters is illustrated vividly, it feels as you´re with them in the house, eating, or in the groups where the various situations unfold. What really made me like the book was how the author discreetly weaved in the protagonist´s jumps from her "subversive" thoughts (about wanting to have a life that is different) to actually acting on them - a very real process each of us face in our own realities. Who are we? Who are we in our group? How to make our moves?

[Nuria Rafique · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aysha's book highlights the taboo issues of rape and more importantly sexual abuse of children and how the suppression of these issues being spoken about actually leads to far worse consequences. The book is set in an era some years ago in Pakistan, but the issues it touches are very relevant today. Choosing a twin relationship was a very intelligent way of allowing the reader to see the variety of woman who exist in society, those who don't have the ability to speak out, and then those wonderful ones who have the strength not only to speak for themselves but for other women and give them a voice as well.

[Khizra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh My God!
I wasn't ready for this traumatic experience!
.
"Sent back?!"
"A mother's nightmare "
"How do you sleep?"
"Has she fought with her husband?"
"Once a girl is married, only her dead body should leave her husband's house"

It's scary how common these phrases are.
How I felt like I have been going through all these. I guess every girl can feel this.
Being raped by influential men and treated as a piece of meat who dishonoured her family because she got raped. Also, the fear of hadood laws that she can't even get justice because she has no proof? Tara and Zara's story set in those days of zia-ul-haq's martial law, is a nightmare for every women reader!

[Chicken Curry and Rice · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has stayed with me after closing it. As a Pakistani born and brought up abroad I recognize the Pakistan of the 1980’s but I was approx 8-12 years old at this time. The descriptions took me back to those years but made me realize I didn’t understand the thoughts of my aunts and cousins, the framework they were living in and their daily life.

This book has made me question my experiences of the time and makes me want to explore the experiences of my extended family.

Well written and easy to read in two days, I would suggest this book to many readers.

[Rania Iqbal · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Everything was haram after the bleeding started.” This book is a powerful reflection and reminder of how women are forced to give up education, seen as inferior to men and destined to serve them. They are treated as a source of shame within our society. Zara’s story in this novel portrays the resilience and strength of Pakistani women who dare to break barriers and stand up against injustice. I felt profound rage while reading this-the kind that is necessary for us to end patriarchy and change the narrative. More power to Pakistani authors!

[Zarreen Baqir · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful and moving story that highlights the misogynistic culture and traditions that rural women in Pakistan face, yet leaves the reader feeling hopeful and cheering for protagonist, whose courage and resilience is admirable despite being faced with gut-wrenching circumstances. The writing is lyrical and engaging, and half way in the book becomes a real page turner, the pace and suspense gripping you through till the end.

[The Tempest · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I WANTED THE READERS TO EXPERIENCE HER EMOTIONS. FEAR, DISBELIEF, HORROR, ANGER, AS SHE SEES FAMILY, HER COMMUNITY, AND THE LEGAL SYSTEM FAILING HER. BEYOND THE FIELDS IS ALSO ABOUT FIGHTING BACK AND SAYING NO TO SOCIAL INJUSTICE.”

Continue reading our interview with the author here: https://thetempest.co/2019/12/02/ente...

[Maliha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read! Really gripping. This book does a brilliant job of bringing cultural challenges to life and how women from the remotest parts of Pakistan face them with unexpected resilience! The characters are full of life and remind of certain personalities I have come across myself!

[Shirin Chatoo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book definitely took me to rural Pakistan loved the detail and I felt that it was written really well
I managed to read it in two sittings
Found the story extremely sad but real
Definitely a book I would recommend

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, moving and inspiring story about life for a girl in rural Pakistan and about female power to make a positive change. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the book and can’t wait for the next novel to come out from this talented writer

[hwwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

OMG THE LAST 100 PAGES YO (the rest of the book was super mid but idk why it didn't affect my rating)

[Mehreen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Behind the Fields is a ‘real’ novel. Not only is it a powerful literary text whose characters leap out of the pages and accompany you long after you have finished reading, it is also a glimpse into a world with which most of us are unfamiliar. This is not a romanticised picture of rural or semi-rural Pakistan; instead, it is evident that the author has spent many hours with those she writes of, who have now been elegantly immortalised in ink. Beyond the Fields stands as a mirror through which we can see the breadth of human nature, from its darkest and most heinous depths, to the infinite courage, compassion and sacrifice we are capable of.

If you liked Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale or anything by Khaled Hosseini, you will love Beyond the Fields.