For the first time I have read such kind of a novel which covered many genres. It was a bunch of mystery, suspense, love, teachings and exotic traveling spots But there were many things I didn’t like about JKP.
JKP was written by a very well known writer Nimra Ahmed. There were many controversies related to this novel’s treasure hunt riddles. People have even stated that the content is not original but I won’t focus in these matters. As long as the novel is gripping and teaches you a lot about Islam we could ignore these things.
Main Theme
The Main theme of this novel could be explained in terms of the main characters Haya and Cehan.One side of the story revolves around the topic of “Hijaab “and how one verse of Quran could change her life forever. The transformation of a modern girl (Haya) to a Hijaabi girl was the main essence of this novel. The Other side of the story depicts the life of a spy guy Cehan and his duty’s severe and harsh demands.
Not revealing the story but giving the main introduction :)
Mr.Suleiman has two children, Haya and Rohail.Rohail has been studied in U.S and Haya has been selected for a scholarship from the Europian union and she leaves for Turkey for about five months. The main reason of Haya to apply for this scholarship is Cehan . These two characters are connected together by a sacred childhood bond i.e Nikkah ,that was forgotten. Cehan’s mother ( Haya’s phopho) Sebain lives in Turkey.
Beautiful Location
The Amazing and Magnificent portrayal of Turkey would actually make you add this country to your tourism list. The Bosphorus bridge, one of the two suspension bridges spanning in Istanbul connects Europe and Asia. I knew alot about Turkey through this novel and I thank Nimra Ahmed for this pleasing introduction.
Confusing Characters
Suspense and detective touch has been added to this novel. The arrival of flowers and congratulating Haya for the scholarship from ARP was very shocking .It actually made me feel that someone is spying on Haya.Many characters such as Major Ahmed, Khawaja Sira , Pinky and Dolly added to the suspense element of this story. It was quite surprising actually to see that whenever Haya was in trouble Major Ahmed, Khawaja Sira,Pinky or Dolly would help her. They were like blessing in disguise. But I personally thought they were obscure.
Major Ahmed was displayed as Cybercrime Agency worker. He removed the dancing video of Haya and Irum from the webs and actually did give her a strange advice about jannat kay pattay. Dolly saved her from Waleed’s trap and it was spot on and he bashed her saying “Be-haya , Be-haya “.
There were so many characters added just to create suspense and mystery but in my opinion the novel would have been much captivating and pleasing without this much characters. It did create a lot of skepticism.
Halay was another positive character added.Ayeshae Gull and Baharay were my favourite characters as they helped Haya to understand and to direct her life according to the teachings of Islam.The Best scenes were collecting the pearls and Surah Al-Ehzab riddle. It was when Haya made a decision to wear Hijab the meaning of the riddle appeared and the unanswered part was answered at the end.
Turkey‘s Adventures and Great Lessons
Turkey changed Haya forever and for good.The journey of problems took a very interesting turn when she reached Turkey with her friend DJ. The flight scene and the introduction of ARP made me sense some danger. ARP( Abdul Rehman Pasha) was portrayed as the well known smuggler and Haya was warned to take good care of herself against him. Haya’s meeting with Cehan was formal. Haya and DJ showed a really good chemistry and became were very good friends.It was DJ who took Cehan with her and Haya to travel Turkey.The scene when the hotel was destroyed made me feel for Cehan Alot. The Death scene of DJ was really heart wrenching and it was magnificently connected with this philosophy
“Cheezain waqti hoti hain, toot jaati hain bikhar jaati hain,rawaye dayimi hote hain apna asar chor jaate hain” and the other lesson was hidden in the horrifying ” Natasha” part where Haya got burned and she felt the torture of hell-fire. These were life long lessons for Haya. The adventure of Haya to find Cehan and enjoying the Hot Air Balloon ride was sweet.
Treasure Hunt Riddles
This was the most interesting part of the novel. Treasure Hunt Riddles added a lot more of mystery content to this novel. In my opinion it was really interesting and gripping while Haya was trying to solve them. The famous quotes of Heraclitus was very well introduced and the puzzle box was my favourite. It was a very clever way of using these riddles in appropriate situations.
Cehan Sikander – The Other Half Of The Novel
Oh, this character is recently the heart-throb of many girls after Salar Sikander (Oh they both are Sikander ). The reason behind this is his bewitching, charismatic and alluring nature.He understood Quran very deeply and this was shown very beautifully by Nimra Ahmed in the tafseer of Surah Al-Falq.Cehan was definitely suffering from inferiority complex because of the past of his perfidious father. The early period of his life and his concept of مرة جميلة (very beautiful ) was well written. He was a spy and the torture cell part showed his intelligent mind. He loved his country and was serving him in a best way possible. He didn’t want Haya to come to Turkey as she would know about his secret. The way he helped Haya was out of this world and a bit filmy at times.He didn’t like Haya because she didn’t fulfill what مرة جميلة of Cehan demands but later on he admires her. The restaurant part was not impressive at all. It made it look like a big drama and his friendship with hammad was very sweet.
Connecting The Characters
It was confusing because as I mentioned above so many characters, so many things happened at the same time. but I have a confession Nimra Ahmed did connected them marvelously and at the end of the novel everything fell into perspective.
All and All, It was a good novel there was much dragging and it made the novel boring at times. Especially when Haya’s period was paused and Cehan’s life started it was too long and there was so much to digest .It was a long novel and it had a happy ending.
One more thing the forced hijab and the restrictions in the family of Haya exposed some character’s filthy actions. As Haya’s hijab was not by force it was a heart’s decision she loved and respected it and the way she fought alone without uttering anything to Cehan showed the strength of her character.
It was hard to review such a rich novel but I tried.
Looking forward to your feedback
Special thanks to Noor-us-Saad
Asma Jamali
