A review by misspalah
The Writing on My Forehead by Nafisa Haji

challenging emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

“That, my friends, is the difference between journalism and fiction. Power. The power that transforms a relatively obscure—no matter how highly acclaimed—literary figure into worldwide headlines. The contents of Salman Rushdie’s novels—his stories—will never, never have the impact that the story about Salman Rushdie had. There is a lot of posturing about this—about Rushdie’s right to expression from one side, about the blasphemous nature of his work from another—but what he expressed was read neither by the vast majority of those who claimed his work to be insupportably offensive nor by those whom they, in turn, offended. They—those rioting hordes, those mullahs and fatwa-issuing ayatollahs—relied on the news. The same goes in the so-called Western world—so-called, because this kind of delineation, it seems to me, is a dangerous affectation that has nothing to do with the fact that “we live in one world, all of us, with equal responsibility to care for it and equal opportunity to exploit and defile it. In the so-called Western world, few cared about Rushdie’s novel per se. It was its effect that was the story, not its content. If that effect had not been reported on here, Salman Rushdie’s book would have remained tucked away, however highly appreciated, in the literary niche where brilliant writing remains buried. Am I right? Can we agree on this? That there is more power in journalism than in fiction?” Majid Khan paused for a long moment.”

• The Writing on My Forehead by Nafisa Haji

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This is the perfect embodiment of third culture individuals (TCI) story. We followed the journey of Saira growing up in typical Pakistani & Indian Culture but no longer wanted to be tied in with the values that her parents and grandparents grew up with. Saira was torn between chasing her freedom with whatever her parents felt would bring shame to the family and incompatible with the values that they have taught her. I am not going to lie that I was more invested with the story of Saira’s grandparents whom she called (Big Nanima, Nanima and Nana) in the first part of the story. The dynamics that they shared knowing that the fate of being abandoned by her husband could have gone to Big Nanima instead of Nanima or the possibility that Nana might have been happy with Big Nanima if he was married to her somehow intrigued me. BUT the book was not about them. They were one of the secrets that has been concealed from outsiders despite many knew about the affairs that Saira’s grandfather left her grandma to be with some white woman in England. That alone strengthen Saira’s resolve and determination that she refused to be married off at the young age and wanted to pursue her studies / take her time as much as she can to figure out her future. Then, Saira met her cousins from her father’s side, Mehnaz and Mohsin. They were raised differently (almost too Americans) and it did come as a surprise to her. They eventually bonded once Mohsin revealed that their paternal grandfather was a freedom fighter (which is another secret) and towards the end of life, he was hugely disappointed with the choices that both his sons opted (Mohsin’s father and Saira’s father). One chooses to capitalize wealth by siding with the riches and the other choose to serve western countries instead of returning to motherland and working with its people. Over the period of teenagerhood and adulthood, Saira and Mohsin grew more closer, and it did put a huge distance for her, and her family given that Mohsin has been disowned after revealing that he’s gay. Saira pursued journalism as a career option and often collaborated with Mohsin to publish newsworthy material. The second half of the book was good but not as good as the first half, at least in my opinion. I felt that many gaps were left unexplored. I don’t know whether its intentional or the author felt readers are capable in filling in themselves. I don’t dwell much on the dynamic that Saira has with her sister because I believe it was almost universal experience of being a girl to be compared to our sister or female cousin. Of course, the favorable one is always the pretty one or the demure one. It was never the bold one, the brainy one or the courageous one. We were often pitted against each other by our mother, aunties, grandmothers, and extended relatives. It was like a rite of passage especially if you are growing up in Asian family. I knew exactly how Big Nanima, and Saira’s felt of being overlooked and ignored. Overall, this is an impressive novel for a debut. The author served a multi layered family stories that emphasized cultural and historical ties to their identity and how one’s choice may alter one’s destiny throughout their whole life. This would be 5 stars if the ending was not rushed.