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whatposhreads's review
4.0
Some books just leave you in awe & this is one of them.
Curfews have a whole new meaning since I've read this. It did make me feel disturbed & sad reading this but I cannot imagine what it must have been like for her
Yet instead of anger & frustration, she writes about it from a point of view of a girl growing up in Kashmir - her growing up in Kashmir.
The stories seamlessly go back& forth from the present incident to backstories of horror, loss & trauma.
The year she mentions that changed her life forever coincidentally is the year I was born & that made me think even though we were born in the same country how different our lives have been.
The freedom that we take for granted- like having lights on after nightfall, or an anxiety attack every time your family member is late to return home or even education.
Very proud of this work and recommend reading it even if you don't know the present or past status of Kashmir.
Curfews have a whole new meaning since I've read this. It did make me feel disturbed & sad reading this but I cannot imagine what it must have been like for her
Yet instead of anger & frustration, she writes about it from a point of view of a girl growing up in Kashmir - her growing up in Kashmir.
The stories seamlessly go back& forth from the present incident to backstories of horror, loss & trauma.
The year she mentions that changed her life forever coincidentally is the year I was born & that made me think even though we were born in the same country how different our lives have been.
The freedom that we take for granted- like having lights on after nightfall, or an anxiety attack every time your family member is late to return home or even education.
Very proud of this work and recommend reading it even if you don't know the present or past status of Kashmir.
maahi's review
4.0
Written with simplicity & brutal honestly, Rumours of Spring is a heartbreaking memoir of growing up in Kashmir. Although somewhat unfocused & disorganised, it paints a poignant image of living in constant terror. Had me in tears. Definitely recommend.
_readers_alley's review
5.0
I don't think I have read a book that terrified me as much as Farah Bashir's Rumours of Spring: A Girlhood in Kashmir did. A masterful compilation of scattered memories unified into a single, horrifying story by the death of her beloved grandmother, the book throws light on post-1989 Kashmir in which people were driven by a single emotion - fear.
The novel begins with the death of Bobeh, the narrator's grandmother and continues to talk about deaths and violence till the very end, throughout the chapters which mark the passing of time starting from Bobeh's death till the cremation - Evening, Night, Early hours, Dawn, Morning, Afterlife. The author has perfectly captured the uncertainties that prevailed in the lives of the people through her experiences of growing up in a strange world in which even the safety of home felt suffocating.
Oscillating between the beautiful past and the horrifying present, the narrative makes clear the stark difference between what life used to be and what it has become for the people in Kashmir. This opposition is what gives life to the novel, it is essentially an amalgamation of opposing thoughts. Juxtaposing the joy, happiness, and love inside families with sheer terror, painting the picture of children enacting kidnaps and crackdowns at a very young age as a sort of entertainment, replacing all the extravagant festivities by curfews, crackdowns, killings, and fear, Farah Bashir has perfectly captured the world in which she grew up. The fact that all these incidents are presented from the innocent memory of a teenager; that the horrific memories are narrated in a beautiful language that befits poetry adds to the impact that the novel has on the readers.
The novel begins with the death of Bobeh, the narrator's grandmother and continues to talk about deaths and violence till the very end, throughout the chapters which mark the passing of time starting from Bobeh's death till the cremation - Evening, Night, Early hours, Dawn, Morning, Afterlife. The author has perfectly captured the uncertainties that prevailed in the lives of the people through her experiences of growing up in a strange world in which even the safety of home felt suffocating.
Oscillating between the beautiful past and the horrifying present, the narrative makes clear the stark difference between what life used to be and what it has become for the people in Kashmir. This opposition is what gives life to the novel, it is essentially an amalgamation of opposing thoughts. Juxtaposing the joy, happiness, and love inside families with sheer terror, painting the picture of children enacting kidnaps and crackdowns at a very young age as a sort of entertainment, replacing all the extravagant festivities by curfews, crackdowns, killings, and fear, Farah Bashir has perfectly captured the world in which she grew up. The fact that all these incidents are presented from the innocent memory of a teenager; that the horrific memories are narrated in a beautiful language that befits poetry adds to the impact that the novel has on the readers.
nazarin's review
4.25
Windows, wails, gunshots, tear gas, crackdown, curfew, hostages, panic, death...
Your life agonized by the petrifying noises of gunshots, the heartbreaking wails of your people. The windows of your house that had welcomed the warm sun and chilly winds once are now shut, frightened of the hail of bullets. You miss walking, you miss laughing, you don't know what's peace anymore... Everything around you whispers terror, death! Everything smells like blood, the redness creeping under your bed, the dread filling your eyes...can you imagine this? You and your loved ones in such a situation, for years?!
"To expect change in the season in a month's time felt less like a realiry but more like rumours of spring."
With a simple, distinctive and penetrating narrative, Bashir takes us back to the 1990' Kashmir, giving a honest and terrifying account of the everyday life of Kashmiris. The nostalgic memories of celebration, happiness and love of Pre-Tehreek era as well as the traumatic events of post-Tehreek era and the dreadful life under military occupation is tragic and truly heartbreaking! The intense relation between Bashir and her grandmother is warming and soul stirring and the way her family stick to their faith amidst all these adversities is incredible. They believed in each other, cared for each other, loved each other, it gave them hope. Hope is a good thing.
"Every window in our house seemed to have been assigned a specific role, each one had numerous tales to tell."
The deaf-mute who didn't had an id-card, the relative who lost his son, the friend's sister who died in an attack, the classmate whose father became a victim of the political assassinations, the burned first love, sleepless nights - all these people and their stories bring a shining light upon the unspeakable horrors of the dirty war that has been waged in Kashmir for decades. Our life now, amidst the pandemic - curfew, lockdown, deaths - it's all feels like a reminder, a reminder that there are places where people is living like this, under a lethal military occupation for decades! This stunning debut by Farah Bashir, its eye opening insights into the land's culture with rich descriptions and details and experiences of living in an occupied land, makes it a must read for everyone.
Your life agonized by the petrifying noises of gunshots, the heartbreaking wails of your people. The windows of your house that had welcomed the warm sun and chilly winds once are now shut, frightened of the hail of bullets. You miss walking, you miss laughing, you don't know what's peace anymore... Everything around you whispers terror, death! Everything smells like blood, the redness creeping under your bed, the dread filling your eyes...can you imagine this? You and your loved ones in such a situation, for years?!
"To expect change in the season in a month's time felt less like a realiry but more like rumours of spring."
With a simple, distinctive and penetrating narrative, Bashir takes us back to the 1990' Kashmir, giving a honest and terrifying account of the everyday life of Kashmiris. The nostalgic memories of celebration, happiness and love of Pre-Tehreek era as well as the traumatic events of post-Tehreek era and the dreadful life under military occupation is tragic and truly heartbreaking! The intense relation between Bashir and her grandmother is warming and soul stirring and the way her family stick to their faith amidst all these adversities is incredible. They believed in each other, cared for each other, loved each other, it gave them hope. Hope is a good thing.
"Every window in our house seemed to have been assigned a specific role, each one had numerous tales to tell."
The deaf-mute who didn't had an id-card, the relative who lost his son, the friend's sister who died in an attack, the classmate whose father became a victim of the political assassinations, the burned first love, sleepless nights - all these people and their stories bring a shining light upon the unspeakable horrors of the dirty war that has been waged in Kashmir for decades. Our life now, amidst the pandemic - curfew, lockdown, deaths - it's all feels like a reminder, a reminder that there are places where people is living like this, under a lethal military occupation for decades! This stunning debut by Farah Bashir, its eye opening insights into the land's culture with rich descriptions and details and experiences of living in an occupied land, makes it a must read for everyone.