T
The prose is unpretentious. The characters seem real, and the novel makes an easy read.
As Farooki peels off layers of relationships, they appear to the reader in a different light, yet remaining the same. Deceit is the common factor, whether in interpersonal relationships or the relationship with the self. The prose is unpretentious. The characters seem real, and the novel makes an easy read. Farooki is good at dealing with the intricacies of relationships. However, at the end of the narrative, there are just too many relationships, and they become slightly forgettable. And the vision of deceit, complex as it is, tends to appear slightly limited and simplistic.
The motif of taste—of sweets, tea, coffee—seems a little cumbersome and forced at times. I really do wish publishing houses in the West wouldn’t stamp book covers with golden peacocks just because the novel happens to be of Asian origin.