tonyfrobisher's review
5.0
"Does the cruelty of life make humans turn vicious, or is life vicious because we are?"
This House of Clay and Water by Faiqa Mansab.
It is sometimes hard to write a book review once the last word has been read, the final page turned, the book closed. Because the images and words spin in your mind and endlessly turn over and over. Conjuring up those ideas both conflicting and resolving, clashing and redeeming.
Faiqa Mansab's novel of love and loss in Lahore is richly layered, infused with the essence of Lahori society. The duplicity of male and female expectations. How a man can be allowed to behave with impunity, while a woman must behave, for fear of being ostracized, considered worthless or without morality. How a male dominated society traps and ensnares the women who are doomed ultimately for standing up for their rights. And for whom love is something seldom discovered, more foisted upon them within the strictures and cultural mores of marriage.
Freedom does not come easily.
What drew me into the novel were the beautifully described characters. The central triumvirate of Nida, Bhanggi and Sasha, each flawed, pitiful and pitiable. Each lost and hoping to found and rescued and each fighting against their own either perceived or societal imposed injustice. From Sasha, a free spirited woman engaged in extramarital affairs, Nida the depressed, maligned and ignored wife who has suffered loss and felt the cruel sting of rejection from husband and family, to Bhanggi, a hijra - eunuch, grappling with a body and soul rejected and shunned by society, abused and unloved.
Faiqa Mansab's skill is in creating a narrative that weaves the lives of Nida, Bhanggi and Sasha together in a story that reveals so much about Pakistani society, but also about the human condition. How we all desire to be loved. How we all crave acceptance. How life can be unspeakably cruel.
It is a sad novel, but Faiqa Mansab has produced a novel that deserves to be read. Because she creates a sense of place that is tangible, characters that infuse themselves in your mind and a story that is a salient and relevant treatise on the unfairness of society towards its marginalised and vulnerable, and the treatment of women within the marital home. A book of women, that every man should take the time to read also.
This House of Clay and Water by Faiqa Mansab.
It is sometimes hard to write a book review once the last word has been read, the final page turned, the book closed. Because the images and words spin in your mind and endlessly turn over and over. Conjuring up those ideas both conflicting and resolving, clashing and redeeming.
Faiqa Mansab's novel of love and loss in Lahore is richly layered, infused with the essence of Lahori society. The duplicity of male and female expectations. How a man can be allowed to behave with impunity, while a woman must behave, for fear of being ostracized, considered worthless or without morality. How a male dominated society traps and ensnares the women who are doomed ultimately for standing up for their rights. And for whom love is something seldom discovered, more foisted upon them within the strictures and cultural mores of marriage.
Freedom does not come easily.
What drew me into the novel were the beautifully described characters. The central triumvirate of Nida, Bhanggi and Sasha, each flawed, pitiful and pitiable. Each lost and hoping to found and rescued and each fighting against their own either perceived or societal imposed injustice. From Sasha, a free spirited woman engaged in extramarital affairs, Nida the depressed, maligned and ignored wife who has suffered loss and felt the cruel sting of rejection from husband and family, to Bhanggi, a hijra - eunuch, grappling with a body and soul rejected and shunned by society, abused and unloved.
Faiqa Mansab's skill is in creating a narrative that weaves the lives of Nida, Bhanggi and Sasha together in a story that reveals so much about Pakistani society, but also about the human condition. How we all desire to be loved. How we all crave acceptance. How life can be unspeakably cruel.
It is a sad novel, but Faiqa Mansab has produced a novel that deserves to be read. Because she creates a sense of place that is tangible, characters that infuse themselves in your mind and a story that is a salient and relevant treatise on the unfairness of society towards its marginalised and vulnerable, and the treatment of women within the marital home. A book of women, that every man should take the time to read also.
rituparna_24's review
4.0
I bought this book back in 2017(I think?) because of all the good reviews then forgot about it. Until now. I picked it up because it had been lying on my shelf gathering dust for too long and since I took up a challenge to finish some of my unread books, this was a good - actually, no, it was an amazing - start to the challenge.
What a beautiful book! The story was beautifully told through the eyes of the four main characters: Nida, Bhanggi, Zoya and Sasha, set in a contemporary Pakistani society. I could relate a lot to Zoya towards the beginning of the story because it seemed as if someone was writing about my childhood. It broke me when her life was changed by that one terrible event and what hurt most was that it was someone she loved and trusted.
I loved Nida and Bhanggi's love story too - I could see the end coming of course, but it didn't prepare me enough for it. Although it left some questions unanswered at the end (and some unfulfilled wishes of mine), I think ended quite well.
The prose itself was very beautiful - there were so many good lines throughout the book like the one below:
"I'd morphed, altered, nipped and tucked away bits of my personality for so long, I no longer recognized myself. I feared that one day, even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be able to identify myself. I'd be forever trapped in an image of another's making, and there would be no escape because I would have forgotten to want to escape."
The descriptions were so well-written I felt like I was in Lahore, with the characters, experiencing everything. It was all so real (and the story does take you too close to reality I think) that it ceased being just a story.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, so I am glad I finally picked it off the shelf and read it.
What a beautiful book! The story was beautifully told through the eyes of the four main characters: Nida, Bhanggi, Zoya and Sasha, set in a contemporary Pakistani society. I could relate a lot to Zoya towards the beginning of the story because it seemed as if someone was writing about my childhood. It broke me when her life was changed by that one terrible event and what hurt most was that it was someone she loved and trusted.
I loved Nida and Bhanggi's love story too - I could see the end coming of course, but it didn't prepare me enough for it. Although it left some questions unanswered at the end (and some unfulfilled wishes of mine), I think ended quite well.
The prose itself was very beautiful - there were so many good lines throughout the book like the one below:
"I'd morphed, altered, nipped and tucked away bits of my personality for so long, I no longer recognized myself. I feared that one day, even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be able to identify myself. I'd be forever trapped in an image of another's making, and there would be no escape because I would have forgotten to want to escape."
The descriptions were so well-written I felt like I was in Lahore, with the characters, experiencing everything. It was all so real (and the story does take you too close to reality I think) that it ceased being just a story.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, so I am glad I finally picked it off the shelf and read it.
lovelifeandbeyond's review
5.0
Everything from the covers to the words in between them are beautifully expressed. It was a breeze to read through although there were times when you need to stop and face the harsh realities she talks about.
The status of women, the unsafe children, the segregation, and the claim for the moral high ground. It is all relatable and is our thoughts put into words.
The status of women, the unsafe children, the segregation, and the claim for the moral high ground. It is all relatable and is our thoughts put into words.
cybill's review
4.0
i debated the rating i would give throughout as i was reading and as mad as i am at certain things, i think it truly does deserve a four. i’m tired of pakistani authors latching on to this image of the upper class (not that i’m defending them
because it probably is the case in reality) as their sole premise. add in a sufi or two, a khwaja sara and you’re golden. not to say that this wasn’t a good book. but all the south asian i have encountered seems to run around in circles. i hope this opinion changes because i really wanna like local authors but they need to stop making it so difficult
because it probably is the case in reality) as their sole premise. add in a sufi or two, a khwaja sara and you’re golden. not to say that this wasn’t a good book. but all the south asian i have encountered seems to run around in circles. i hope this opinion changes because i really wanna like local authors but they need to stop making it so difficult
simopedia's review
2.0
The beautiful cover attracted me to the book however the story is so spilt. I definitely didn't enjoy reading it. It's a tale of forbidden love and two horrific crimes but I inherently felt the characters extremely annoying. The author has tried to explain their motivation but I got an extremely unsatisfactory feel at the end of the story. The book felt incomplete just like its characters.
suprita's review
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
kpuranik's review
5.0
This house of clay and water.
✨
I started reading this book on the 31st and finished just a while ago. This has left me emotionally drained. I had heard good reviews about this book but I never knew it would affect me so significantly.
✨
This book talks about four protagonists - Nida, Bhanggi, Sasha and Zoya, all of them surviving in Lahore. Yes, not living but just surviving. Inspite of being an highly educated woman, Nida is confined to a loveless marriage and has to suffer the loss of her ill child. She finds her escape in Bhanggi. Bhanggi, born as a Hijra, lives his life in agony and is often trampled down by others. He finds his release in Nida.
✨
Sasha is bored of her married life and seeks solace in random men. She neglects her daughter Zoya who is just twelve years old and has to face the consequences later. Zoya, unable to get attention from her parents, starts seeking love from the housemaids only to realise that she's being molested and ends up pregnant. What follows is the lives of these four ordinary people who try to break shackles around them. The plot is fantastic and is extremely touching.
✨
It's impossible to conjure up romance between a woman and a Hijra but the author has pulled it off by sheer elegance. She has portrayed the true sense of loss, inequality, betrayal, patriarchal system, heartbreaks and also survival. This house of clay and water is not just a story but is a beautiful prose that keeps you afloat as you begin to read.
✨
I would rate this book 5/5.
✨
I started reading this book on the 31st and finished just a while ago. This has left me emotionally drained. I had heard good reviews about this book but I never knew it would affect me so significantly.
✨
This book talks about four protagonists - Nida, Bhanggi, Sasha and Zoya, all of them surviving in Lahore. Yes, not living but just surviving. Inspite of being an highly educated woman, Nida is confined to a loveless marriage and has to suffer the loss of her ill child. She finds her escape in Bhanggi. Bhanggi, born as a Hijra, lives his life in agony and is often trampled down by others. He finds his release in Nida.
✨
Sasha is bored of her married life and seeks solace in random men. She neglects her daughter Zoya who is just twelve years old and has to face the consequences later. Zoya, unable to get attention from her parents, starts seeking love from the housemaids only to realise that she's being molested and ends up pregnant. What follows is the lives of these four ordinary people who try to break shackles around them. The plot is fantastic and is extremely touching.
✨
It's impossible to conjure up romance between a woman and a Hijra but the author has pulled it off by sheer elegance. She has portrayed the true sense of loss, inequality, betrayal, patriarchal system, heartbreaks and also survival. This house of clay and water is not just a story but is a beautiful prose that keeps you afloat as you begin to read.
✨
I would rate this book 5/5.
dhanyanarayanan's review
4.0
“As a child, laughter is all you need as proof of happiness. As a child you don’t know there are so many different kinds of laughter—like different varieties of birds. Some are flightless.”
This debut novel, ‘This house of clay and water’ , by Faiqa Mansab, has many such original and intelligent remarks which would make you think and reflect deeply at the pathetic and real state of human minds.
About the author:
Faiqa Mansab is a Pakistani author who obtained MFA in creative writing from Kingston University, London. Her thesis, which was written for the course, formed the basis for this novel, which was initially rejected by many publishers in UK and USA before getting published finally by Penguin Random House. She currently teaches creative writing in Lahore and is working on her second novel.
About the book:
The story is about the lives of two women, Sasha and Nida, in the city of Lahore.
Sasha is a woman who takes pleasure in defying religion and patriarchy. In the beginning she is introduced as somebody who lives life on her own terms. But as the story progresses, we shockingly see a Sasha who changes and becomes religious and God fearing, resigning to her fate of being stuck with a ‘boring’ husband and feeling guilty for her past actions. Change in her personality happens after a personal tragedy strikes. Women, irrespective of whether they are in New Delhi or Lahore, are taught to feel guilty for living a life of their choice.
Nina, Sasha’s friend, is educated, philosophical but with orthodox beliefs somehow feels that Sasha should not be leading a ‘carefree’ life. But later you find Nida listening to her heart and ending up having a love affair with Bhanggi who is a person of third gender. As the story evolves we see the change in the attitude of these two women who are friends.
Why I enjoyed this book:
The foremost reason is that this book depicts the life of women in Lahore; the same city from where I have a new friend! (Of course I do it both ways: Sometimes I find a friend first and then try procuring books written by authors in that person’s country; sometimes I read books by authors from a different country and then try making friends from that country!)I am convinced that borders(at least the ones in your mind!) can be obliterated by books.
May be for a person from Lahore, this book could appear superfluous but for an outsider like me, this book provides a decent chance to ‘palpate’ the pulse of Lahore city.
Across borders, state, thoughts and aspirations of women remain pretty much the same.
In this era when many Indians yearn for a war to ‘teach’ Pakistani people a lesson, when a cricket match between the two countries simulates a war like situation and when no scope exists for any dialogue between the two countries, I feel the only way to arrest the spread of malicious thoughts, is to promote cross-border literature and art. I still believe that writers and artists can do what rulers cannot.
This debut novel, ‘This house of clay and water’ , by Faiqa Mansab, has many such original and intelligent remarks which would make you think and reflect deeply at the pathetic and real state of human minds.
About the author:
Faiqa Mansab is a Pakistani author who obtained MFA in creative writing from Kingston University, London. Her thesis, which was written for the course, formed the basis for this novel, which was initially rejected by many publishers in UK and USA before getting published finally by Penguin Random House. She currently teaches creative writing in Lahore and is working on her second novel.
About the book:
The story is about the lives of two women, Sasha and Nida, in the city of Lahore.
Sasha is a woman who takes pleasure in defying religion and patriarchy. In the beginning she is introduced as somebody who lives life on her own terms. But as the story progresses, we shockingly see a Sasha who changes and becomes religious and God fearing, resigning to her fate of being stuck with a ‘boring’ husband and feeling guilty for her past actions. Change in her personality happens after a personal tragedy strikes. Women, irrespective of whether they are in New Delhi or Lahore, are taught to feel guilty for living a life of their choice.
Nina, Sasha’s friend, is educated, philosophical but with orthodox beliefs somehow feels that Sasha should not be leading a ‘carefree’ life. But later you find Nida listening to her heart and ending up having a love affair with Bhanggi who is a person of third gender. As the story evolves we see the change in the attitude of these two women who are friends.
Why I enjoyed this book:
The foremost reason is that this book depicts the life of women in Lahore; the same city from where I have a new friend! (Of course I do it both ways: Sometimes I find a friend first and then try procuring books written by authors in that person’s country; sometimes I read books by authors from a different country and then try making friends from that country!)I am convinced that borders(at least the ones in your mind!) can be obliterated by books.
May be for a person from Lahore, this book could appear superfluous but for an outsider like me, this book provides a decent chance to ‘palpate’ the pulse of Lahore city.
Across borders, state, thoughts and aspirations of women remain pretty much the same.
In this era when many Indians yearn for a war to ‘teach’ Pakistani people a lesson, when a cricket match between the two countries simulates a war like situation and when no scope exists for any dialogue between the two countries, I feel the only way to arrest the spread of malicious thoughts, is to promote cross-border literature and art. I still believe that writers and artists can do what rulers cannot.