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A review by raven88
In the Company of Strangers by Awais Khan
5.0
I will try to resist the urge to completely gush about Awais Khan’s In The Company Of Strangers, but this is something really quite special indeed. Written with such a stark clarity and perceptive tenderness, this story of love, conflict, religion, wealth and poverty set in Pakistan, was unutterably moving throughout.
As we become immersed in the lives of Mona and Ali, who ostensibly are polar opposites, but who make a vital and emotive connection, Khan draws us into their contrasting worlds so vibrantly and movingly throughout. Mona, who on the outside looking in, seems to have the perfect lifestyle, but there is a dark undercurrent to her relationship with her husband, and an intense dissatisfaction beneath the surface, bound up with issues of abuse, fidelity, age and status. I was mesmerised by the drawing and depiction of her character, as she really encapsulated all the doubts and insecurities that many women carry despite outward appearances. Her character is a maelstrom of emotion and self-questioning, but so sensitively depicted that the reader begins to feel a real connection and empathy with her. I will say less about Ali, the main male protagonist, as the gradual reveal of his inner demons is powerfully unfolded as the story progresses. Again, he is a character that is beautifully drawn, and represents on many levels the gaps and fissures in society of money, religion and social unrest. His tentative interactions and then growing relationship with Mona, whilst balancing the demands of family loyalty and coercion into acts of violence, is sublimely realised.
Khan also completely captures the mercurial nature of Pakistan itself, from the atmosphere of the city itself, to the disparity of its citizens, the unassailable gap between poverty and wealth, and the overarching threat of violence and unrest. There is a vibrancy and colour to Khan’s writing that not only exudes from his characters, but also the more mundane aspects of everyday life for these city dwellers, so that the high emotion of the central narrative is kept grounded by his other observations, and touches of the ordinary. As you can tell, I was incredibly impressed with this book, which also achieved a rare thing indeed, leaving me with a tear in my eye at its close. This has only happened once before, so I think that is probably a striking testament to the power and sensitivity of Khan’s writing. Highly recommend this one, and looking forward to this author’s next book.
As we become immersed in the lives of Mona and Ali, who ostensibly are polar opposites, but who make a vital and emotive connection, Khan draws us into their contrasting worlds so vibrantly and movingly throughout. Mona, who on the outside looking in, seems to have the perfect lifestyle, but there is a dark undercurrent to her relationship with her husband, and an intense dissatisfaction beneath the surface, bound up with issues of abuse, fidelity, age and status. I was mesmerised by the drawing and depiction of her character, as she really encapsulated all the doubts and insecurities that many women carry despite outward appearances. Her character is a maelstrom of emotion and self-questioning, but so sensitively depicted that the reader begins to feel a real connection and empathy with her. I will say less about Ali, the main male protagonist, as the gradual reveal of his inner demons is powerfully unfolded as the story progresses. Again, he is a character that is beautifully drawn, and represents on many levels the gaps and fissures in society of money, religion and social unrest. His tentative interactions and then growing relationship with Mona, whilst balancing the demands of family loyalty and coercion into acts of violence, is sublimely realised.
Khan also completely captures the mercurial nature of Pakistan itself, from the atmosphere of the city itself, to the disparity of its citizens, the unassailable gap between poverty and wealth, and the overarching threat of violence and unrest. There is a vibrancy and colour to Khan’s writing that not only exudes from his characters, but also the more mundane aspects of everyday life for these city dwellers, so that the high emotion of the central narrative is kept grounded by his other observations, and touches of the ordinary. As you can tell, I was incredibly impressed with this book, which also achieved a rare thing indeed, leaving me with a tear in my eye at its close. This has only happened once before, so I think that is probably a striking testament to the power and sensitivity of Khan’s writing. Highly recommend this one, and looking forward to this author’s next book.