Aspiring to be a novelist one day myself I seem to be indulged in pretty much every book that interests me. You can call me that ‘Kitabi Keera’, or, since we happen to be, existing in a ‘tech world’ label me as ‘Tablet Keera’, who is seen mostly hidden under the cover reading their favorite books at night hours, despite being aware of all the cons they might endure for not sleeping on time. Swollen eyes, hair fall, dark circle or what not! But, who cares, as these books are so much more to us than these imperfections and, besides these are the imperfections that make us human! So next time anyone makes fun of your swollen eyes, don’t let them get to your heart- roll your eyes, sit back and turn the page to know what’s going on in the lives of your favorite characters, with a smile.
Now that I’m a book worm let me just admit that I like to re-read things depending on the intensity it touched my heart with. So, while I was re-downloading ‘Wo Jo Qarz Rakhte The’ in my tablet yesterday an idea hit upon my cranium to write a review on it, just so that I might share the beautiful journey I went through while I was mused in the world of ‘Saad’ and ‘Fari.’
The story starts with Fariya, a very young aged girl weeping at the misery of her parent’s death in a car accident, while she’s been told about her maternal grandfather by her family’s beloved maid. The story progresses with her going back to Pakistan along with her grandfather, living a life of dismay with her grandparent as she still has not gotten over the fact that she wouldn’t ever get back to her homeland. However, with time, things get better as she befriends with a two years elder guy who keeps on explaining and advising her for having an optimistic outlook on life, his forthright attitude and the way he perceive things and the sincerity he shows towards her makes them the best of friend.
Over the years she gets better and better by the constant care of her grandmother and her only best friend, yet, she is still not aware of the sternness his Grandpa shows towards her. Fast forwarding, she gets to know the truth by her mother’s only best friend ‘Anjumand aunty’ who came to visit her after 10 long years. And then the story revolves around Fariya, Saad, Zufishan(Fariya’s mother), Fariya’s father and then the grumpy grandpa who’s not really grumpy and sweet as sugar Grandma.
Overall the story which might seem quite simple has charm in its simplicity. The way Farhat ishtiaq has molded her thoughts onto the piece of paper is worth being praised for. Honestly, she has become one of my go-to writers whom I can read almost all day. The writing style that she owns in which she converts the simplest of stories into something that attains a special place in our heart explains her evolved and refined writing skills. ‘Wo Jo Qarz Rkhte The’ is a story of sacrifice, forgiveness and love that stays for eternity. The way Fariya sacrifices her love just so that her grandpa might forgive her mother and how her mother missed her father even though she had everything made me realize the strong ties we have with our parent. And even if we try to scratch them out from our lives, it would be our souls that would end up being crushed into million pieces.
The touch of poetry in the latter part of the novel when Fariya is described as missing her childhood is so beautiful that even I started missing it. Lol :P and the relative utilization of the classic old aged stories were poignant, and very much in accordance with the situation.
I guess the story is quite predictable yet Farhat’s subtle approach and unique sense of writing made the novel, Hmmm, what should I call it?? A must read? Well… I guess it’s in between a guilty pleasure and a must read! Yet I wouldn’t mind recommending it to you guys, as the novel was really worth my time. And to all those who end up cursing me for wasting your money for not being happy with the ending, I recommend you to become a ‘tablet’ or a ‘smart phone Keera’ just like me, so that you wouldn’t get to spend your money on the book.
Hope you guys liked the review. Let me know if there’s any novel you’d like to be reviewed by me and do forgive me if I forgot anything special as I read it a year or two back. Don’t forget to share your thoughts, let’s rewind back to the time when we first read the novel.
Stay blessed!
Mariam Sheikh