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In Other Rooms, Other Wonders
by Daniyal Mueenuddin
Power
and Desire: Change and the limits of
change
In
a stunning collection of eight interconnected short stories, Daniyal
Mueenuddin's IN OTHER ROOMS, OTHER WONDERS, give readers an intimate
portrait of life near Lahore, Pakistan, a society on the verge of
change composed of individuals who change through choices made or have
change thrust upon them by outside events. Each story focuses on one
character or relationship, building a richness and depth to the whole
collection. Characters sometimes reappear in other stories, giving this
book an epic feel through layered portraits. In IN OTHER ROOMS, OTHER
WONDERS, the microcosm of the characters and the community surrounding
the Gurmani family farm, from the family of an aging feudal landlord
household to the various individuals who interact with those on the
estate gives a haunting picture of a larger landscape and culture.
In "Nawabdin Electrician," Daniyal Mueenuddin focuses on a man known
for his ingenuity, a man who in his own way takes a personal stand in
one instance, and in doing so, defines himself anew. In "Saleema,"
Daniyal Mueenuddin grips the reader's heart with both a sense of
transformation and tragedy in a rags-to-riches tale that transforms the
characters themselves in a moving love story set against the structures
and changes within a smaller family society. In "Provide, Provide,"
Jaglani rises in power and influence as he sells off K.K. Harouni's
feudal estate in blocs. Daniyal Mueenuddin gives readers a
heart-wrenching look into the consequences Jaglani's life has on those
around him and the interconnectedness of human relationships. In a
haunting first person narrative, "About a Burning Girl" tells the case
brought to a sessions judge in the Lahore High Court when the judge,
with encouragement from his wife and his servant Khadim's brother,
tries to free Khadim from charges brought against him for murdering his
brother's wife. The story after which the book is named, "In Other
Rooms, Other Wonders," gives the reader a more intimate portratit of
K.K. Harouni himself through a look at the Husna, a woman who applies
for a job on the estate with a letter of introduction from his first
wife. "Our Lady of Paris" looks into the relationship of American Helen
and her Pakistani fiance/husband, Solail Harouni, detailing their plans
to forge a new special bright future and the role family and culture
plays in an individual. The longest tale, "Lily," focuses on the
relationship and marriage of Lily and Murad, set in Islamabad and
Jalpana and the transformation of Lily from a bride to being subsumed,
from taking a chance on change to the lack of change from one
generation to the next. In "A Spoiled Man," one of the most moving
tales in the entire collection, an act of compassion brings Resak more
than he ever could have imagined until suddenly one change, one act of
concern, has unintended consequences.
Daniyal Mueenuddin's stories offer an unsettling, sometimes humorous
but mostly tragic look into a landscape divided by class, a landscape
in the midst of change but where the constraints of station, family
structures and gender often leave individuals open to the whims of more
personal smaller scaled changes. Daniyal Mueenuddin has a gift for
drawing the reader into the lives of his characters, their dreams and
hopes, their relationships and their difficulties and humanity. Daniyal
Mueenuddin's stories highlight the art of the short story narrative
form. One moment, one life evokes a whole world. Whether his tales
feature men or women, Daniyal Mueenuddin peers into the thoughts of his
characters with a remarkable depth but in his female characters,
Daniyal Mueenuddin presents a particularly haunting vision of the
limits to which the possibility of change is not only governed by class
but also gender. Themes of power and desire and hope for change unite
the different stories. The author's subtle yet powerful use of imagery
crystallizes the dramatic moment within each tale with fine precision.
Once I read the first story, I was unable to put the book down until
the very last page. Absolutely exquisite!
Publisher: W.W. Norton
& Co. (February 2009)
Reviewed by Merrimon,
Merrimon Book Reviews
Review Courtesy of Amazon Vine
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