Broken Verses [Paperback]

Kamila Shamsie (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2005

Fourteen years ago, famous Pakistani activist Samina Akram disappeared. Two years earlier, her lover, Pakistan's greatest poet, was beaten to death by government thugs. In present-day Karachi, her daughter Aasmaani has just discovered a letter in the couple's private code-a letter that could only have been written recently.

Aasmaani is thirty, single, drifting from job to job. Always left behind whenever Samina followed the Poet into exile, she had assumed that her mother's disappearance was simply another abandonment. Then, while working at Pakistan's first independent TV station, Aasmaani runs into an old friend of Samina's who gives her the first letter, then many more. Where could the letters have come from? And will they lead her to her mother?

Merging the personal with the political, Broken Verses is at once a sharp, thrilling journey through modern-day Pakistan, a carefully coded mystery, and an intimate mother-daughter story that asks how we forgive a mother who leaves.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Turbulent Karachi is the backdrop for this intriguing, shimmeringly intelligent fourth novel by Shamsie (Kartography), which tells the story of progressive, overeducated Aasmaani Inqalab, the utterly likable 31-year-old daughter of fiery feminist icon Samina Akram. Since the age of 17, Aasmaani has been haunted by the brutal murder of her mother's lover—known simply as "the Poet"—and by her mother's disappearance two years later. As she eloquently puts it, "every prayer of mine for the last fourteen years had been one single word: Mama." Aasmaani takes a job as a quiz show researcher where she falls for the "dazzling" television producer Mir Adnan Akbar, who goes by "Ed." Ed is himself the child of a larger-than-life mother, the retired Pakistani actress Shehnaz Saeed, who happens to be Samina Akram's former confidante. Shehnaz's eagerly anticipated return to acting brings her into contact with Aasmaani. When she receives a cryptic letter, Shehnaz delivers it to Aasmaani knowing that Aasmaani's mother and the Poet developed a secret code to communicate with each other. As more letters arrive courtesy of Ed, Aasmaani convinces herself that the Poet is alive, held captive by a group he calls "the Minions." Although Aasmaani's interiority occasionally overwhelms the otherwise well-paced narrative, her characterization is Shamsie's crowning triumph. Wry, fetching and too clever for her own good, she is a captivating, unexpected heroine. Agent, Victoria Hobbs at A.M. Heath & Co. Ltd. (U.K.). (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School–Growing up in Pakistan, Aasmaani Inqalab, 31, was no stranger to government corruption and intrigue. Her heroes were her mother, an outspoken activist, and her mother's lover, a poet known for his criticism of bureaucracy. Far from a stable influence, though, the couple had a pattern of disappearing into exile when the government drew too close and reappearing months or years later. When she was a teen, the Poet was beaten to death, and her mother vanished shortly afterward. Aasmaani assumed that this disappearance was like all the others, and that her mother would reappear without apology one day. But when she begins receiving coded messages that suggest that the Poet's death was staged as part of a government plot, she is drawn into a web of intrigue in which her own life may be in danger. Her mother's closest friend resurfaces, and Aasmaani must decide whether Shehnaz and her son are truly looking out for her well-being or have ulterior motives. The story skillfully combines political intrigue with family dynamics. Characters are beautifully drawn, especially Aasmaani, whose inability to get beyond her abandonment has left deep scars. Shamsie's love for and knowledge of the people of today's Karachi shine through this compelling tale.–Kim Dare, Fairfax County Public Library System, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books; First U.S. Edition edition (June 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156030535
• ISBN-13: 978-0156030533
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,065,442 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Poet and the Activist, May 17, 2005

By 

Luan Gaines "luansos" (Dana Point, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Broken Verses (Paperback)

Aasmaani can`t let go of her history: fourteen years ago her mother, Samina Akram, a political activist, disappeared, assumed dead. Samina was the ardent follower of the Poet, Nazim, whose work reflected the injustices and excesses of the Pakistani government through various stages of social and political upheaval, civil war, repression and religious fanaticism. Aasmaani cannot, or will not, release her mother, a woman who moved in and out of the young girl's life, following the Poet into exile, living nearby when he was imprisoned.

Now in her 30's, Aasmaani has begun work at a cable television network, where she is introduced to the handsome son of a famous retired actress, Shenaz Saeed. The actress is about to return to the screen in a cable soap opera. Another face from Aasmaani's past, Saeed was formerly a close friend of Samina`s, especially in the difficult years after the Poet's death. When the actress passes along a letter received from an anonymous fan, Aasmaani is shocked to find it written in the secret code used by her mother and the Poet. She is soon obsessed with the letters, translating and authenticating details, searching for remnants of truth: "He was still alive. Oh, dear God, he was still alive."

The novel works on two levels, the Poet's role reflecting the ills of a society in transition and a young woman's urgent need to unburden herself of lifetime of grief for a lost mother and father-figure. The novel speaks to the power of words in an age of repression, the character's actions cast against the turbulent history of Pakistan since its inception. The Poet is beloved because he dares tell the truth, a metaphor for democracy, holding society responsible for its actions. Samina is just as powerful in her role as an advocate for women's rights, her passion and integrity a valuable weapon against injustice.

Aasmaani is in an untenable position as the daughter of such a woman, torn between the need for her mother and belief in the cause, always sharing her Samina, either with the people or the Poet. Aasmaani is fragile for most of her life, but this rite of passage calls her to recognize her true heritage, her own identity: "Sometimes I feel like I've spent my whole life missing Mama." How does a daughter not resent living in the shadow of her mother's greatness and find peace with the memories she has left? Now Aasmaani is desperate to prove one of them alive, clinging to possibility.

In the end, I am conflicted about this novel. I persevered through the author's lengthy political discourses and the esoteric dialog of the Poet and his lover, trusting the integrity of the characters, even the stubborn, if formidable Aasmaani, who exhausts everyone who loves her. Her psychological distance remains palpable, inaccessible. Aasmaani walks with the gods, refusing to acknowledge their humanity or her own. She has infinite passion for the Poet and the Activist, but no compassion, protected in the ivory tower of her intellect. Shamsie's protagonist has no tolerance for the flawed or the ordinary, yet the story's facile resolution is duplicitous, an author's conceit. Luan Gaines/2005.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Literature and a good story, March 30, 2010

By 

IdeaSmith (Mumbai, India) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Broken Verses (Paperback)

It took me over a week to read this book, twice of what I'd normally have taken. This is because I'd linger over a phrase, a paragraph and often go back and read the whole page all over again. I stretched out the reading to savour the experience. I don't remember the last time I wanted to do that with a book.

The story of Aasmaani Inquilab is interesting enough. If the story moves at a slightly slower pace than one is used to in the current fare, it is more than made up for by how beautifully language is used. Kamila Shamsie makes an art out of writing as well as story-telling with 'Broken Verses' and excels in both.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shamsie's back with a BANG!!, July 20, 2005

By 

Saloni Kapur (Pune, India) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Broken Verses (Paperback)

Based in Pakistan, this is a touching tale about a mother-daughter relationship. Thirty-one year old Aasmani is still dealing with the disappearance of her mother seventeen years ago, and sorting through her feelings of rejection, resentment and jealousy. Shamsie's style is gripping from cover to cover. Her first thriller is impossible to put down - I read it, beginning to end, from 11pm to 6am! The characters have a way of getting under your skin. The only flaw I found with the book is that the end doesn't quite hold together. But I guess that could be excused since it provides the surprise element. The novel gives an insight into the political life in Pakistan and portrays the plight of women under the Hudood ordinance. Paradoxically, it offers a glimpse into the lives of an unexpectedly liberal and unorthodox section of Pakistani society. The novel is perfect for a rainy day (preferably a Sunday) when you can curl up in your blanket, sip on a cup of warm chai, nibble on hot pakodas and relish Shamsie's creation at leisure.