Wednesday, Jul 8, 2009

Book Review: The Wish Maker by Ali Sethi

Author:       Ali Sethi

Publisher:    Riverhead/Penguin

ISBN:          978-1-59448-875-7

Website:      http://www.alisethi.com/

Type:         Fiction:Historical/Foreign

Pages:        432 Hardcover

Publish Date:   June 11, 2009

Purchase:    $17.13 @ Amazon.com (HERE)

The Story

“The unforgettable story of a fatherless boy growing up in a household of outspoken women, The Wish Maker is also a tale of sacrifice, betrayal, and indestructible friendship. Zaki Shirazi and his female cousin Samar Api were raised to consider themselves “part of the same litter.” Together they watched American television and memorized dialogue from Bollywood movies, attended dangerous protests, and formed secret friendships. In a household run by Zaki’s crusading political journalist mother and iron-willed grandmother, it was impossible to imagine a future that could hold anything different for either of them.”

But adolescence approaches and the cousins’ fates diverge. Samar’s unconventional behavior—in which Zaki has played the role of devoted helper—brings severe consequences for her, while Zaki is sent out to discover the world for himself. It is only after years of separation from Samar that he is forced to confront the true nature of happiness, selfhood, and commitment to those he loves most.”

(Above excerpt is from www.penguin.com )

The Review

I’ve heard quite a bit of praise about this debut novel from Ali Sethi.  I admittedly had high expectations for this novel based on my love of the assumed similar novels The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns.  Like these two novels, Sethi has written a book about living a live in a country undergoing turmoil and political unrest.  However, this story is much different than those written by Khaled Hosseini.

There were parts of this novel that I found to be intriguing and enlightening.  I did feel a greater sense of understanding about what has transpired in Pakistan’s recent history.  Political activities and religious influences have caused great effects on the country’s people and culture, specifically on the women of Pakistan and the rights they were afforded.  Zaki, the main character, is surrounded by the women in has family in such a great way that he was sensitive to human nature and rights.  Zaki was a bright young boy and a deeply introspective thinker and saw the inequality that surrounded him.  The reader of this novel comes to sympathize for Zaki and his wishes for a better life, not only for himself but for those who he loves.

What made this novel a difficult read was the structure in which this book was written.  There is inconsistency in the storyline which tells the histories of the characters involved.  Specifically, the timeline of the story is visited at different intervals of the characters’ lives.  Therefore, it takes the reader some time to understand where he is at in the story and whose history he is reading about.  This, in addition to the numerous characters with ethnic names, made it challenging for me to follow.  The “back and forth” in the story line works for some novels, but for this particular read, I would have recommended a beginning to end method of story telling by starting with the Grandmother’s life through the ending. 

Another hurdle that I faced was the language barrier and method of communication, or lack thereof, between the characters.  I didn’t find their prose intriguing enough.  Much is learned in the overall story telling, however it is effortful to understand their psyches. 

One thing that I took away from this novel is the ultimate peace and joy that I was born a citizen of such a remarkable and wonderful country.  I live in a land that is not dominated by religious insistence.  I breathe and speak in a country in which I am entitled to my opinion and may speak of it as freely as I wish.     As a woman, I fear that I never take for granted the liberties and equality that I enjoy in my daily existence.  This is not the case in so much of our world… today and yesterday.

On Sher’s “Out of Ten Scale:”

The motto of one of Zaki’s schools was “I think and therefore I am.”  I can appreciate this novel for making me think about and question the inequalities of this world.  As far as providing a recommendation, I struggle with that.  This book is not for everybody.  Of that, I am certain.  If the history of this region intrigues you and you are interested in learning more about growing up in Pakistan, this book will be one that you will certainly enjoy.  However, for me it was a book that took me considerable time to read and absorb.  I felt weighted down by its topic with little hope for the characters.  With the stack of novels that awaited my eyes, I felt resentfully trapped in such a sad tale.  Therefore, for the genre Fiction:Historical (Foreign), I am going to rate this book a 5 OUT OF 10.  However, please note that the average rating on Amazon.com is 3 1/2 stars with nearly every reviewer giving it 4 stars.  So, this rating may be specific to my reading interests.

My thanks to Matthew at Penguin for the opportunity to review this book!

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