'Noon' sits somewhere between a collection of related short stories and a full blown novel in that it tells four different episodes in Rehan Tabassum's life, spread over a couple of decades. It explores some large issues though.
| Noon by Aatish Taseer | |
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| Category: Literary Fiction | |
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Reviewer: Robin Leggett
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| Summary: An episodic tale that is more akin to four related short stories, which explore new wealth/old wealth; servant and class issues; religious conflict; and the impact of capitalism on more traditional cultures in modern day India and Pakistan. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 256 | Date: July 2011 |
| Publisher: Picador | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-0330540414 | |
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Rehan grows up in a privileged Indian society while his estranged father is a big shot in neighboring Pakistan. Added to this cultural melting pot, Rehan is studying in America and has what might be termed a Western outlook on things. His father, Sahil remains a shaddowy figure throughout the book. The book cleverly exposes the ways that Rehan gets drawn into the cultural values of first India and then Pakistan in his actions despite initial resistance. Aatish Taseer is particularly damning about the self-destructive forces in Pakistan in the final chapter of the book as he seeks to connect with his father while living in the moral mess of Port bin Qasim.
The first two episodes/chapters are shorter - the first dealing with his memories of the departure of his father and the second the relationships of his step father, a successful industrialist, to the historic power of the hereditary privileged classes of India. In the third episode a theft occurs while Rehan is in one of their Indian houses and the chapter explores how Rehan's initial ideas of fair play are eroded by the police's treatment of the suspected servants. In the final Pakistan-based chapter, the event surrounds the blackmail of his half-brother.
I confess that I (along with Lesley's Bookbag review) didn't fully share the critical acclaim of Aatish Taseer's 'The Temple-Goers' which I found to be too cold and there are still hints of that coolness that really stem from his choice of narrators who are always on the outside of events, but in 'Noon' it works much, much better to my eyes. The shorter format of the different events really enforces Taseer's ability to cut through to the key issues while maintaining an entertaining and, at times, amusing tone. He's an interesting and urgent writer and this is well worth checking out.
By all means check out The Temple-Goers and see if you agree with us. Alternatively you might also enjoy the region's other rising young author, Aravind Adiga's latest Last Man In Tower.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Noon by Aatish Taseer at Amazon.com.
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