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The Kite Runner
In her satirical column on Pakistan’s political-social life, Diary of a Social Butterfly, Mohsin captures the two worlds brilliantly. Perhaps satire rather than romantic fiction is her true metier. That sharp eye surfaces only occasionally, as when she describes a departing matron’s "velvet buttocks gambolling behind her like a pair of playful puppies".
The only character who understands the tragedy inherent in a nation built on unequal lives is Laila’s formidable grandma Sardar Begum. It’s she who resolves the crisis when she tells her liberal but ineffective son, Tariq, "You go home to your children. I’ll look after these two...." That memoir’s what one is expecting from Mohsin one day.
