Books Set in Asia (Lahore) and Europe (France)

The Book of Everlasting Things, by Aanchal Malhotra (2022)

 

Samir Vij was a 10-year-old Hindu boy living in Lahore, Hindustan in 1938 when he first met Firdaus Khan, a young Muslim girl.  Samir was born into a family that made perfumes and Firdaus’ family were calligraphers.  They were born in a time when their country was under British rule, but families of the various religions lived side-by-side.  Their fathers become friends, and Samir learns calligraphy from Firdaus’ father.  Samir and Firdaus become fast friends and soon fall in love.

 

On Samir’s 10^th birthday, he was given a bottle of ittar by Uncle Vivek, who operates the family’s perfume atelier.  Samir has been blessed with a keen sense of smell that will be an asset when he enters into his family’s business.  He is moved to tears as he inhales the essence of the tuberose ittar given to him by his uncle.

 

Firdaus’ father, Altaf Khan, is a master calligrapher and teaches the art to young students, including his daughter, whom he wants to be educated.  When Samir joins Altaf’s classes, he also gets to spend time with Firdaus.

 

Ten years later Samir and Firdaus hope to plan a life together.  In 1947, however, the plan to Partition the Indian subcontinent is put into force.  Suddenly, what the citizens have considered to be Hindustan, is now Pakistan and India.  Lahore is now Muslim Pakistan.  Immediately tensions arise between the Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs.  Overnight, Samir’s neighborhood was burned to the ground.  Samir’s family is all killed in the fire.  Only Samir survived, and with him a few family artifacts, including numerous journals from Vivek’s experiences during World War I.  Samir went to Altaf, hoping to live with the Khan family, but Altaf rejected him.

 

On his own, Samir has no desire to relocate to India, instead finding his way to Paris, France.  He chose Paris because that was where his Uncle Vivek learned the art of perfume and where he fought during the First World War.  He never stops thinking of Firdaus but eventually he met and fell in love with Léa.  They marry and have daughter.  Meanwhile, back in Lahore, Firdaus entered into an arranged marriage.  Each goes on to a separate life, but they never truly stop loving each other.

 

[Spoiler alert:  Before the Partition, Samir created a special perfume for Firdaus from the tuberose.  He never knew until decades later that Firdaus was unable to smell certain scents, thus could never truly appreciate the perfume that he made for her.]

 

The author beautifully describes the city of Lahore.  One can feel the city through the writing.  The author carefully details the methodology of creating the perfumes.  One can almost smell the scents as they are created.  Additionally, while learning of the perfume trade, I also learned about the Partition that separated India into Hindu and Muslin countries.

 

This is truly one of the best books I have ever read.  It will not appeal to everyone, as many Urdu phrases and words are scattered throughout the book, and the names are not common to the English speaker.  Still, I highly recommend this book for its beauty.

 

5 Stars

 

Read: February 26, 2023

Books Set in North America: Baltimore, Maryland USA

Lady in the Lake, by Laura Lippman (2019)

 

This is a delightful suspense novel that takes place in Baltimore in the 1960s.  Maddie Schwartz is a 37-year old bored Jewish housewife who suddenly leaves her husband and son to be on her own.  She realized that she needs money, so stages a fake robbery so she can collect the insurance money on her engagement and wedding rings.  This brings her in contact with Ferdie, an African-American police officer.  Soon they find themselves in a passionate affair.  They can’t be seen in public, however, because (1) she is still married, and (2) because interracial relationships are illegal in 1960s Maryland.

 

After a young girl goes missing, Maddie joins a search group and discovers the body.  This sparks her interest in pursuing a job as a reporter.  She wrangles her way into a small job at one of Baltimore’s newspapers. When the body of Cleo Sherwood, a young African-American woman, is discovered in a fountain, Maddie becomes obsessed with the woman’s death.  She relentlessly pursues leads to find out what happened to the dead woman.

 

The story slowly unfolds from Maddie’s point of view, as well as that of several other characters, including the ghost of Cleo.  The novel gently also touches upon many social issues of the 1960s, including racism, classism, sexism, and gender matters.  The solution, once it was revealed, was a surprise twist, but one that fit nicely into the story.  [Spoiler Alert:  Cleo, it turns out, didn't die.  The body in the fountain was that of her roommate, whom no one would miss.  Cleo wanted to disappear so she could marry her lover.]

Read: February 21, 2023

4 Stars

 

Books Set in Europe: United Kingdom

The Palace Papers, by Tina Brown (2022)

 

Wow!  Just Wow!  In this book about the British Royal family, no one comes off smelling like a rose.  The book focuses mainly on the last 40 or so years of the Firm, touching on the marriage and life of Charles and Diana before concentrating on the more recent royal relationships and marriages.

 

Unless you are THE Monarch, the lives of all others royals is to support, but not outshine, the Monarch.  That was Diana’s downfall – her overwhelming popularity.  Brown dissects the tawdry and sorted affair of Charles and Camilla before, during and after Charles’ first marriage.  Camilla is seen as shrewd and calculating as she repaired her reputation to elevate her status to now Queen consort.  Her friends were in on the game as well.  (The book was published shortly before the death of Queen Elizabeth.)

 

None of the senior royals escape Brown’s lens.  Nor do Prince Harry and Meghan escape unscathed.  The royals are seen as rude, ruthless, calculating, cold, and, in some cases, just stupid.  Many in the family are quite clueless about how the other 99.9% of the population lives.  Many family members come across as extremely spoiled and pampered.  We knew that didn’t we?  Just not to the extent that they think their privilege extends.

 

Brown notes that the media, which Harry has so often complained about, does, indeed, get leaks from various members of the family.  Thus, the family and the press have a rather cruel symbiotic relationship.  It is the double-edged sword that Firm uses to its advantage at times and despairs at others.

 

The rich are truly different.

Read: February 17, 2023

4 Stars

Books Set in Africa: Kenya

The Lioness, by Chris Bohjalian (2022)

 

This novel takes place in 1964 in East Africa, at a time when there was considerable violence in the continent.  Kate Barstow, a wealthy A-list Hollywood actress had just married David Hill, a struggling art gallery owner.  They were on a safari honeymoon in the Serengeti along with several of their closest friends.

 

David’s gallery isn’t doing well, and he is well aware that his wife is the main breadwinner.  After all, she is funding the trip for everyon ethe safari.  David’s father also holds some ambiguous position with the CIA, which adds to the political intrigue.

 

Kate’s inner circle, who are on the safari include her brother and sister-in-law, her best friend (a minor Hollywood actress) and her husband, Kate’s publicist, her agent and another fellow actor.  Their local guide is a big game hunter, who had to change is focus from clients who were more interested in shooting animals to clients more interested in shooting photographs.

 

While there were political uprisings in the Congo, the safari party has been assured that they will be perfectly safe in East Africa.  Unaware that there are political rumblings throughout the continent, the party seems oblivious to their surroundings.  They are luxuriating in the extreme pampering they are experiencing on their safari.

 

After enjoying a few spectacular days on the safari, in which the African porters tend to the company’s every need, things take a drastic turn.  Suddenly, they are caught in a kidnapping gone wrong.  Russian mercenaries burst upon their camp and separate the American tourists into smaller groups.  Immediately, one of their guards is shot and killed.

 

The novel goes back and forth between the events unwrapping in the kidnapping, and the events leading up to the trip.  The reader gets to know the background stories behind each tourist.  Before embarking on the trip, they knew of the potential dangers in the African plains but believed themselves to be in capable hands.

 

What is the motive of the kidnapping?  Is it money?  Who is behind the kidnapping?  Who has the most to gain?  What is the importance of David’s father?

 

We know from the first page, that very few of the party will survive, we just don't know who.  While I enjoyed most of the book, the ending left me wanting.  Why did one of the captors confess to the rationale of the kidnapping?  This was done in a manner that didn’t fit with the rest of the novel.

 

I find that this author often wraps up in novels quickly in a way that doesn’t fit with the rest of the book.

Read:  February 11, 2023

3.5 Stars