The tale of an Afghan family, which tries to navigate its life in America, forms the plot of Nadia Hashimi's latest book, Spilled Ink. The writer aims to capture the journey of two teenagers, Yalda and Yusuf, who are yearning for a freedom that always seems out of reach.
These children of immigrant parents, who fled Afghanistan, lead a seemingly ordinary life until the day of the performance of Yusuf’s band that makes his troupe the target of the anti-Muslim propaganda. Though Yusuf responds fearlessly, the circumstances that thus unravel threaten to mar everything that the family has built after much labour — their restaurant business as well as their lives at school.
After Yusuf is injured in a mysterious fall, the family decided that it must come together to survive in a town that no longer feels like home. It's during this phase that the words turn out to be refreshingly accessible, written with a quippy wit that usually eludes novels in this genre. Retaining the ease of storytelling for the reader, the novel doesn't shy away from tackling situations steeped in racism, anti-refugee sentiments, and Islamophobia. In the process, it turns out to provide an honest introduction to the harsh realities faced by the minorities existing in an unwelcoming society, thus critiquing on the current times.
However, the story falters in giving requisite build up to certain characters, which somewhat reduces them to being tokenistic. In addition, what comes across as clichés is the anxious and fidgety attributes given to the mother, the strong and angry appearance of the father, and the mysterious plus quiet persona of Yusuf. The protagonist, Yalda embarks on a journey of self-discovery after a tragedy, which feels as if it were written using a generic template for a teenage girl! Towards the ending, which isn't predictable, a reader could feel disjointed as the chronicling appears to lack cohesion when compared with the rest of the story.
{{/usCountry}}However, the story falters in giving requisite build up to certain characters, which somewhat reduces them to being tokenistic. In addition, what comes across as clichés is the anxious and fidgety attributes given to the mother, the strong and angry appearance of the father, and the mysterious plus quiet persona of Yusuf. The protagonist, Yalda embarks on a journey of self-discovery after a tragedy, which feels as if it were written using a generic template for a teenage girl! Towards the ending, which isn't predictable, a reader could feel disjointed as the chronicling appears to lack cohesion when compared with the rest of the story.
{{/usCountry}}So pick this book only on a rainy weekend because it may not satisfy the seasoned souls that often look for depth and complexity.
Title: Spilled Ink
Author: Nadia Hashimi
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Price: ₹399