The first story, about a maid and her son sounds fictional, but unfortunately, it is very close to how we treat our maids, and how their children are ripe for manipulation and exploitation. There wasn't a single story where I felt like I didn't know what the writer is talking about. All of them are steeped in reality and a mirror to the society we live in. There are a total of twelve stories, some interconnected by a common thread, while others just glimpses into the lives of different individuals. I'm saying all this because I want to emphasize how big a surprise this book was. This is okay when you're reading about something you have no idea about, but when you are living in that society and have seen things with your own eyes, these writers start sounding fake and ignorant. As a matter of fact, the reason it took me so long to write it was because I actually read a few stories multiple times to make sure I don't forget anything!įor me, the problem with Pakistani fiction writers is that when they write about the underbelly or the lower strata of society, they sound quite condescending and judgemental like someone who has never really experienced it but is seeing it through a window from the outside. Thankfully, I didn't have to avoid writing a review. It would have been just one more book that I read and forgot. In addition to all this, the biggest stress factor was that the writer, Tehmina Khan, is a new friend, and I was afraid that I might not have anything good to say about her book! The truth is, if I hadn't liked the stories, I would never have written anything about them.
It was these two factors that made me wary of reading this collection of short stories. Furthermore, contemporary Pakistani writers have, with the exception of one or two, always left me disappointed. While I love reading Urdu short stories, somehow English short stories have never held any fascination for me. I have never been very enthusiastic about short stories in English.
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