A review by notyourvegetable03
Midnight Doorways: Fables from Pakistan, by Usman T. Malik
4.5
i think reading this collection has sort of reinvigorated both my interest in short stories and fantasy (and maybe a little horror too)!
the beginning felt a bit clumsy to me and i was sort of miffed about it because i went in with high expectations: "ishq" is a really good taster for malik's narrative voice which is very excitingly story teller - sitting around in a circle at a sleepover - coded but the actual substance (or expected substance) of the story falls short in its reveal at the conclusion but the visuals you can conjure up in your head through his writings are enough to make you want to trudge through. the second story was possibly my least favourite and not because it didn't have an exciting premise but that the execution felt a bit too simplistic (though the whole concept of marionettes was interesting), i felt if we had stuck around in this story for a little while longer (i think this was also the shortest of the collection at around 10 pgs) we could've been more connected to the plot happening (something i noticed is that i liked the longer stories much more!) - still this was not BAD just underwhelming and the "abida parveen" and "ghabrana nahin hai" mention felt a bit gimmicky and too on the nose reducing the eerie atmosphere that i expected was being built.
the third story !!! "resurrection points" was where i got HOOKED ! at first the whole resurrection point medical thing was a little confusing but IT TURNED OUT TO BE SO GOOD. side note: the medical theme is vvv much a constant in malik's work and i think adds a very unique characteristic take on how he creates these plots or uncanny events happening! resurrection points in the end was a rlly well done piece that sold the book to me.
the fourth story "the fortune of sparrows" kind of feels underrated to me give her her flowers! it has birds and the whole seeing ghosts thingy actually is cool and suprising.
ok next "dead lovers on each blade, hung": ... vvvv good, malik at his (almost) best weaving in the real and the supernatural the set up for this story is really good and sure u dont get the extreme HORROR/FANTASTICAL SURREAL ELEMENT of it till like the end (there is some real world horror though...) but the pay off is so good!! ur waiting for it to come and when it comes its so NOT what u thought it was going to be but so fresh and jarring! also the pakistani settings and sub characters/groups malik uses are so exciting to see like the desert and the qawwals!
the next one "the vaporization enthalpy of a peculiar pakistani family" was also very well written and laced out for the reader and its focus on merging real world and other world horror was interesting to read.
malik really left his best for last because "in the ruins of mohenjo daro" was a BANGER ! firstly, reading this felt like i was back in 5th grade reading a percy jackson novel which isnt a dig at the writing because the writing is amazing but its about the Feeling that this story created, it had the nostalgia, it had the stakes, it had the setting of history and the students and everything was just so reminiscent of childhood and fantasy. it was a treat to read, to go back to the wonder of not knowing what will happen to this character and of the being transported to a strange strange situation. it also reminded me of "the axe" by penelope fitzgerald because of the ending.
overall, a lovely read!
the beginning felt a bit clumsy to me and i was sort of miffed about it because i went in with high expectations: "ishq" is a really good taster for malik's narrative voice which is very excitingly story teller - sitting around in a circle at a sleepover - coded but the actual substance (or expected substance) of the story falls short in its reveal at the conclusion but the visuals you can conjure up in your head through his writings are enough to make you want to trudge through. the second story was possibly my least favourite and not because it didn't have an exciting premise but that the execution felt a bit too simplistic (though the whole concept of marionettes was interesting), i felt if we had stuck around in this story for a little while longer (i think this was also the shortest of the collection at around 10 pgs) we could've been more connected to the plot happening (something i noticed is that i liked the longer stories much more!) - still this was not BAD just underwhelming and the "abida parveen" and "ghabrana nahin hai" mention felt a bit gimmicky and too on the nose reducing the eerie atmosphere that i expected was being built.
the third story !!! "resurrection points" was where i got HOOKED ! at first the whole resurrection point medical thing was a little confusing but IT TURNED OUT TO BE SO GOOD. side note: the medical theme is vvv much a constant in malik's work and i think adds a very unique characteristic take on how he creates these plots or uncanny events happening! resurrection points in the end was a rlly well done piece that sold the book to me.
the fourth story "the fortune of sparrows" kind of feels underrated to me give her her flowers! it has birds and the whole seeing ghosts thingy actually is cool and suprising.
ok next "dead lovers on each blade, hung": ... vvvv good, malik at his (almost) best weaving in the real and the supernatural the set up for this story is really good and sure u dont get the extreme HORROR/FANTASTICAL SURREAL ELEMENT of it till like the end (there is some real world horror though...) but the pay off is so good!! ur waiting for it to come and when it comes its so NOT what u thought it was going to be but so fresh and jarring! also the pakistani settings and sub characters/groups malik uses are so exciting to see like the desert and the qawwals!
the next one "the vaporization enthalpy of a peculiar pakistani family" was also very well written and laced out for the reader and its focus on merging real world and other world horror was interesting to read.
malik really left his best for last because "in the ruins of mohenjo daro" was a BANGER ! firstly, reading this felt like i was back in 5th grade reading a percy jackson novel which isnt a dig at the writing because the writing is amazing but its about the Feeling that this story created, it had the nostalgia, it had the stakes, it had the setting of history and the students and everything was just so reminiscent of childhood and fantasy. it was a treat to read, to go back to the wonder of not knowing what will happen to this character and of the being transported to a strange strange situation. it also reminded me of "the axe" by penelope fitzgerald because of the ending.
overall, a lovely read!