River of Fire & A Thriller

Qurratulain Hyder & The River of Fire edited by Rakhshanda Jalil

Aakar Books. Pages: 248. Price: Rs. 595/-

She was barely eleven when she wrote her first story. Her debut short story collection, Sitaron se aage, was published in 1945. She migrated to Pakistan where she published Aag ka darya in the late 1950s – a novel that “rocked the literary circles in Pakistan”. However, she returned to India a disillusioned person and worked for the Imprint and the Illustrated Weekly of India. She published over fifteen books belonging to different genres. But mere cataloguing of the numbers does not do justice to Qurratulain Hyder – the first lady of Urdu literature. She was a maverick who broke all stereotypes vis-à-vis women writers and characters. She was not prepared to confine herself to feminine issues alone. 

This book is not a mere collection of platitudes and homilies but its different contributors underscore diverse aspects of Qurratulain’s personality and works – especially the trailblazing Aag ka darya, which “engages with the question of composite culture in India in the backdrop of the Partition of the subcontinent”. Interestingly, this novel has been republished several times in Pakistan although its narrative goes contrary to that country’s version of the subcontinent’s history.  This is a must read for all lovers of good literature.

The Body in the Back Seat by Salil Desai

Gyaana Books. Pages: 254. Price: Rs. 250/-

Ashish Karve goes missing. A couple of days later his body is found in his own car’s back seat with his wrists slashed. Inspector Saralkar is sure that someone has tried to camouflage murder as suicide. Thus starts a riveting whodunit. There are several suspects – each having a powerful motive to kill Karve. Desai has skillfully strewn red herrings while leaving genuine clues staring the police and the readers in the face; the clues appear so innocuous that one realizes their worth only in the final pages.

Clearly, the author has done his homework. He is able to maintain mystery and thus sustain readers’ interest till the end. Having said this it would be pertinent to mention that more could have been done to enhance the reading experience. The overall atmospherics could have been better, the police humor sharper and their language more realistic – they are unbelievably polite. More importantly, the language could have been more in line with the narrative’s tenor – at times it gives the impression of being a bit literary. Expression to passions is a bit too staid. Not a single invective! Saralkar’s counterfoil is his sidekick Motkar but, gradually, the contrast between the two disappears when the latter starts behaving like his boss. Neither is anywhere near Keating’s Ghote in terms of characterization. But, these are nitpickings really. This is the best murder mystery by an Indian author so far.