Salt & Saffron - Kamila Shamsie (book review)
Synopsis
A beautiful novel detailing the life and loves of a Pakistani girl living in the U.S.
Aliya may not have inherited her family's patrician looks, but she is as much a prey to the legends of her family that stretch back to the days of Timur Lang. Aristocratic and eccentric-the clan has plenty of stories to tell, and secrets to hide.
Like salt and saffron, which both flavor food but in slightly different ways, it is the small, subtle differences that cause the most trouble in Aliya's family. The family problems and scandals caused by these minute differences echo the history of the sub-continent and the story of Partition.
A superb storyteller, Kamila Shamsie writes with warmth and gusto. Through the many anecdotes about Pakistani family life, she hints at the larger tale of a divided nation. Spanning the subcontinent from the Muslim invasions to the Partition, this is a magical novel about the shapes stories can take- turning into myths, appearing in history books and entering into our lives.
"Saffron is a luxury, but salt is a necessity, Aliya learns in this charming, witty exploration of class values." - Library Journal
Aliya may not have inherited her family's patrician looks, but she is as much a prey to the legends of her family that stretch back to the days of Timur Lang. Aristocratic and eccentric-the clan has plenty of stories to tell, and secrets to hide.
Like salt and saffron, which both flavor food but in slightly different ways, it is the small, subtle differences that cause the most trouble in Aliya's family. The family problems and scandals caused by these minute differences echo the history of the sub-continent and the story of Partition.
A superb storyteller, Kamila Shamsie writes with warmth and gusto. Through the many anecdotes about Pakistani family life, she hints at the larger tale of a divided nation. Spanning the subcontinent from the Muslim invasions to the Partition, this is a magical novel about the shapes stories can take- turning into myths, appearing in history books and entering into our lives.
"Saffron is a luxury, but salt is a necessity, Aliya learns in this charming, witty exploration of class values." - Library Journal
"The utterly sensuous descriptions of food and tea are alone worth the price of admission." - Booklist
Review
This is my first book that I've read by Kamila Shamsie. Salt and Saffron is a beautiful, interesting, and very well-written novel. I am eager to read Shamsie's other books.
*All I can remember is the names of mouth watering food* :D
The story revolves around Aliya; a Pakistani girl of an aristocratic family who becomes reacquainted with family members – first in London and then in Karachi. Aliya thinks of herself as a family historian and a storyteller. After spending four years of her life at university in America for her studies, she was unaware of so many secrets about her ancestors.
There are so many thoughts which were haunting Aliya's mind as the things went strange into the family; Why her cousin Mariam doesn't speak? Who are the not-quite- twins? The very peculiar thing is Aliya to some extent start believing herself as one of the not-quite twins.It is the not-quite twins who are the source of disaster and shame for the Dard-e-Dil. Aliya knew so little about the Partition of Indo-Pak which divided the family. Caste, family and social status comes in the way of Aliya's love.
Would she become a matter of shame to her family being a not-quite twin or not?
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