Hope for a better day in Pakistan

Last update: July 3, 2009 - 12:11 PM

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THE WISH MAKER

By: Ali Sethi.

Publisher: Riverhead Books, 416 pages, $25.95.

Review: This novel, set in Pakistan during the Bhutto years, is a powerful coming-of-age story about a fatherless boy and his willful cousin.

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Ali Sethi's semiautobiographical novel "The Wish Maker" is set in Pakistan during the years when Benazir Bhutto held office and political turmoil prevailed. Refusing to rely on the usual clichés about either Islam or anti-Muslim attitudes, Sethi -- Harvard-educated, 24 years old, the son of Pakistani prodemocracy journalists -- offers readers a unique, nuanced and frequently humorous portrayal of life in modern-day Pakistan.

The book's narrator, Zaki, is a fatherless boy in a family of formidable and contentious women. Zaki's mother, a liberal journalist and feminist, hosts gatherings of outspoken professional women in her home, attends outlawed demonstrations with Zaki in tow and is sometimes arrested for her stances.

Zaki's constant companion is his slightly older female cousin, Samar, who lives in an upscale residential enclave in Lahore. Very much a drama queen, Samar confides the constantly shifting circumstances of her love life to Zaki. With his complicity she arranges unchaperoned meetings with men -- risky, because if these trysts were to be discovered, Samar would become an outcast in Pakistan's conservative Islamic society.

Appearing at this pivotal time of intense U.S. interest in Pakistan, "The Wish Maker" deserves a slot at the top of every fiction reader's list. As the title of this remarkable novel suggests, it illuminates the human capacity for wishmaking, for wanting a richer and better life no matter one's social status or age, and for recognizing the authenticity of that desire in others.

KATHERINE BAILEY

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Here are some of Books Editor Laurie Hertzel's favorite sites and blogs. Got a literary link to share? E-mail Laurie.

Twin Cities Literary Scavenger Hunt Home page for the scavenger hunt, which runs now through Dec. 26.
Reading Minnesota A blog that features Minnesota writers, illustrators, publishers, bookstores, and reviewers.
Talk of the Stacks An author series from the Library Foundation of Hennepin County.
Poets & Writers The website for Poets and Writers Magazine--podcasts, author interviews, and writing resources.
Creative Writing A place to keep apprised of writing competitions in the United States.
Gather Minnesota Readers The Website for Minnesota Public Radio's books blog.
The Loft Literary Center The Website for the Loft, a local place for writers and readers.
Good Reads A way to track what you're reading, and what your friends are reading.
Lost Manuscripts Just what it sounds like - a blog (sporadically updated) devoted to missing and destroyed manuscripts.
Maud Newton Very hip, reviews, links, a little attitude.
bookreporter.com A plethora of online book reviews and reading guides.
Rain Taxi Rain Taxi Review of Books.