You know how it is when you go to a new place and feel like you don’t belong there? That hesitation to reckon with a new geography. That knowledge that this place and etiquette is not mine. So many new things to absorb. And the place also takes a little time to accept the new person. Often you have to meet the place on its own terms. Sometimes you have to work hard to earn your little corner in it. Till that place becomes yours, till you find your own equilibrium there, there will be a gap between you and the place.
Storyline:
The story begins with the main protagonist Sameera Parvin, a passionate radio jockey(RJ) moving to an unnamed middle eastern city to live with her father and extended family. Though she enjoys the pleasures of the lavish city, she is guilty of snatching the lives of poor citizens who don’t enjoy the pleasures like outsiders. The story is about a conflict between migrants and the own citizens of an anonymous city. The migrants support ‘His Majesty’ who is more like a dictator.
Sameera’s friend Ali is one of the protestors who want to overthrow the reign of ‘His Majesty’.
Who won at last? This is the plot of ‘Jasmine Days’. The story concentrates on the religious conflict between Suni and Shia Muslims and how it gets flared up due to the political game and indifferent politicians. Every character in this novel is sketched perfectly and differentiated in their ideologies.
Through Sameera’s story, the novel explores the themes of social and political change, cultural identity, and the struggle for freedom and justice in a complex and conflicted world. The novel is written in a vivid and engaging style, with a cast of memorable characters and a compelling narrative that keeps the reader engaged from beginning to end.
Finally,
While reading this book, the readers can understand how citizens are merely the ‘PUPPETS’ of politican agenda and how they are emotionally triggered.
There is a certain level of comfort and warmth in the author’s writing but somewhere it gets lost in the midst of Chaos. But nevertheless, the writing keeps you hooked till the very last page and makes Jasmine Days a must-read book. The author has inscribed a deep and painful story in around 258 pages with lucid narration.❤