It is a bit shameful to me I even read this. It was not part of my stack of unread books- so did not help in lessening my pile. But it drew me in, and here we are…!
I found it at my parents’ house and I became interested because it was a Uncorrected Bound Proof copy- probably one we found in a charity shop. Once reading the blurb it interested me so I thought I would give it a try!
The plot (ish)
Set in India, it follows Shalini a young well-off and slightly spoilt woman from Bangalore. It’s a few years after her graduation- she feel frustrated in a job she’s not enjoying and distant from her Father who can’t do enough for her.
A large part of this frustration comes from the recent loss of her Mother. The plots flits back into the past showing her Mother as a confident and outspoken woman who had some undeniable character quirks which has clearly affected how Shalini sees herself today.
Quite spontaneously, Shalini quits her job, takes her Father’s hand out money and heads to a remote Himalayan village in the northern region of India, Kashmir.
She discovers and explores the grief of her Mother’s death against the background of tensions in the Kashmir region between the Muslim and Hindu communities.
She is able to do this because of the connection the place has with events from her childhood.
A strange visitor
On an ordinary day when she was 9 years old, a man, Bashir Ahmed knocks on their door, selling clothes. Her mum bizarrely strikes up a friendship with over the next 5 years, as he returns from Kashmir every 3 months or so.
Although it wasn’t a romantic affair (there is no insinuation of this), Shalini is tied to her mum in keeping these visits her secret from her Father.
Bashir Ahmed is from the Himalayas, and Shalini’s young mind becomes completely enchanted by him, with his fun and mystical folk style tales from the mountains.
Once, after a strange family party. He never returns again. With the loss of her Mother fresh in her head, 11 years later Shalini heads to the mountains, with a tiny clue, in search of Bashir Ahmed.
Trouble up high
I won’t claim to know much about Indian politics, but a running theme in the novel is the violent clashes between Hindu’s and Muslims in the northern region of Kashmir, where Bashir Ahmed is from. There are militants working for one side or another attacking the opposite sides home. When Shalini visits, she realises the danger she may have put herself, and the families she meets there in.
The scenery is obviously stunning and it is clear Shalini finds a lot of peace in the simplicity and rustic way of life of the villagers she stays with.
Despite her developing a connection and love for the people there, her presence endangers them.
Not sure
I felt like I read the whole of this book waiting for something to happen, and it didn’t. It is the author’s debut novel, and I can’t fault some of the intimacy in her writing. There were clear moments of awakening in Shalini’s emotional journey.
The tension between the political conflict and the frustrated Shalini’s journey, is handled delicately, with the reader ( like Shalini), never really understanding the broader picture.
I did not find the book very exciting to read, I felt often like I was just chugging along. However, now I reflect on it as a whole, it is a well-written and thoughtful book. It’s an exploration of grief of the individual, and maybe of a nation too, with the conflict.
Not to ruin the ending, but I wasn’t with it. I felt there was a lack of one at all. Did I feel Shalini had resolved much ? Had much changed from the beginning ? perhaps not. So I have been left to grapple with what was the purpose of it all.
Anyway, I would love to hear from someone who feels the opposite, but I found there wasn’t much to get excited about in this book.
Anyway, back to my ‘to read’ pile….
Add comment
Comments