This house of clay and water by Faiqa Mansab

Set in Lahore, Pakistan. Reviewed on 2018/10: https://www.instagram.com/p/BpkIgkzF5xY/

Let me tell you a little bit about how to sometimes go for what’s deemed wrong and win big. When you read #thishouseofclayandwater you can interpret what I just said in an allegoric way. No doubt about it. But I also think that #faiqamansab played with fire in another way: her writing style. All the characters in this captivating tale seem to grow from the same body, the same root. The voices are just different mouths attached to the same body as if a #mythological being were speaking out loud in a cacophony of voices while ruminating the streets of #lahore . I usually tend to be very critical of writers which do not aim or even know how to specifically define one character from another. I believe in this book #mansabpurposely allows the characters to flow back and forth from another one without too much knowing who is saying/feeling what and whose voice is being heard or spoken to. The result is wondrous and exhilarating and quite the achievement considering that this is her #debutnovel . More importantly it’s a technique which allows us to see very vividly the connections among the characters which are far from serendipitous and random. It’s simply a beautiful technique which can be fatal in a book. In this case, Mansab masterfully employs it and the result is nothing short from a literary accomplishment. #highlyrecommnded#pakistaniliterature #hijra#pakistaniwomen #muslimwomen#mesmerizing #forbidden #لاہور#transgenderlove #women #againstallodds#forbiddenlove #literaryachievement#penguinrandomhouseindia