Yeni Yiliniz Mubarak!

Happy New Year from Azerbaijan.

In Other Rooms, Other Wonders
by Daniyal Mueenuddin
(Bloomsbury-2009)

Just finished this lovely little book of short-stories all based around a fictional wealthy Pakistani landowning family, portraying their successes and more often, their failures.  It encompasses the whole marvellous melting pot of  people associated with them, from the villagers who work on their land,  spoilt city friends, old family retainers, corrupt associates, disenchanted lovers and of course, bitter, abandoned wives.  Written as individual stand-alone cameos, each focalised through one central character, it is less about the family itself and more a reflection of Pakistani life in general, from grotesque wealth with its resultant waste to life in the meanest of hovels, and where corruption, cruelty and deceit is often part and parcel of everyone's existence.  It is a colourful, grim, fabulous and distressing portrayal of contemporary Pakistani life.  Beautifully written.