Book Review: This House of Clay and Water by Faiqa Mansab

 

Twitter is for me one of the main source of bookish inspiration. My bank account my suffer, but at least my spirit has an enormous resource to use every time when in need. I forgot how many times in my life books offered me support and help, and faithful company, besides opening my mind to different worlds that - at least for now - cannot experience directly.

One of those recommendations come a couple of months ago, via the very talented Awais Khan: This House of Clay and Water by fellow Pakistani author Faiqa Mansab. 

The action of the novel is based in Lahore and follows the intertwined destinies of several women. Nadia and Sasha are by far the most proeminent characters, but the other female participants into the story are equally important in creating a women-lead narrative. They are assigned different background and personalities, from the love of Regency novels to middle class background, to their preference for physical love and naive trust in men. Thus, they are not only diverse but also take the shape of real-life humans driven by desires and selfishness. They are not good only because they are women, but are shaped by the men´s world they are living in. But are those weak and inconsequential men really worth destroying their lives and souls for?

But the women in This House of Clay and Water do not have too much time for taking the right decisions and answering philosophical questions - although they may ask the questions as such...They need to save themselves and cruel horrendous decisions, like Razia´s sexual use of Zoya is a horrible example in this respect. 

The most interesting and tragical character though is the hijra Bhanggi, a storyteller in the vein of the old traditional stories, a mirror of the double-faced characters and bigot society. 

Both the stories and characters featured in the story do not give place to black andwhite verdicts. As humans are in real life, there is a lot of space for discussion, nuances and kindness, tolerance and understanding. For the curious reader, it reveals the world of Lahore and of the women of Pakistan in general, in a fine and elaborated literary wrapping.

It can only leave the reader feeling grateful for being shared such a story and unique women experiences. I am even happier to have discovered just another talented writer for Pakistan and I can only wait to discover more writings by Faiqa Mansab.

Rating: 5 stars