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The Good Children by Roopa Farooki (view source)
Revision as of 12:45, 19 June 2014
, 12:45, 19 June 2014no edit summary
The Saddeq family are an example of success for their friends and neighbours in Lahore. Mr Saddeq is a doctor with his own practice, sons Sully and Jakie are studying medicine in the US and UK respectively and daughters Mae and Lana have made good marriage matches. However the four 'good' children would view their success differently. Each reacts differently to the futures that their caring father and calculating mother have mapped out for them and plough their own furrows as far as they're permitted but the gravitational pull of home remains a constant through their lives and also, to some extent, for the generation that follows.
Pakistani/British author [[:Category:Roopa FaroukiFarooki|Roopa Farooki]] has the mastery of the written word in her veins; her father was the late novelist Nasir Ahmad Farooki. The gift's manifestation in Roopa is evidenced by previous books that include 2012 Orange-long-listed [[The Flying Man by Roopa Farooki|The Flying Man]] and now this, her insightful, beautifully written third novel, cementing her reputation even more firmly.
Roopa has been compared with authors like [[:Category:Andrea Levy|Andrea Levy]] and [[:CatgegoryCategory:Zadie Smith|Zadie Smith]]. While accepting this as a compliment, Roopa is quick to point out that there is a difference: Roopa seeks to write of universal moments and tendencies that unite us rather than dwell on cultural differences. I can definitely see what she means, but the cultural element is not ignored; it's there in the background deepening adding another layer of thought-provoking enjoyment.
Indeed, Roopa doesn't shy away from the way in which boys are traditionally raised differently from girls on the Indian sub-continent. In fact Mae and Lana are brought up so traditionally their parents arrange their marriages (although Mae finds a way to fight back against her incredibly controlling mother). The boys, on the other hand, are given the freedom to fly even if the direction of flight has been predetermined for them. However, as Roopa intends, there is much about the lives of the four children that ring true in our lives (if that's not too presumptive a statement for me to make).