THE MAP AND THE SCISSORS BY AMIT MAJMUDAR

-

BOOK NAME:  THE MAP AND THE SCISSORS

NAME OF THE AUTHOR: AMIT MAJMUDAR

GENRE: LITERARY AND CONTEMPORARY FICTION

PUBLISHER:  HARPERCOLLINS INDIA

BOOK BUY LINK : Amazon India


For the love of historical fiction, this is my first ever book on partition!! I have read a lot about it in school but nothing out of syllabus. I am glad that this is my first ever book to the start of this genre.

I honestly thought that it would be a sour, prejudiced take on the partition with two groups distinctly labelled as good and bad. But for the first time ever, it felt so good to be wrong.



The book is about two resolute leaders, Gandhi and Jinnah who are strikingly similar in personalities but are also polar opposites.

The book presents as a banter between Gandhi, the persistent, resilient and self reliant leader and the charismatic, confident and persuasive Jinnah. The former wants a peaceful undivided India free of British’s rule and the latter dreams of a divided nation with autonomous powers in the hope of having a ‘pure land’. But little did they realise that leaders can only take decisions, while the consequences rely entirely on its people and the middlemen.


PROS: The book was such a delight in terms of literary creativity. I could not classify or hate any persona completely and that is solely because of the writing.

It was so fascinating to read about the personal lives of Jinnah and Gandhi who were both great law makers turned political influencers.

The book was such a fine balance between everything - Gandhi’s wits, Jinnah’s charm, Fathima Jinnah’s confidence, Ruttie’s innocence, Patel and Nehru’s bravery, Sarojini and Manu Gandhi’s sacrifice and also the love and hatred of millions of their followers.

There was a clear line of distinction between the fictional and original elements. The inclusion of fictional writing involving humour, power and screenplay was beautiful.

It was the author’s knowledge on all religious preachings and practices that took me by surprise.


CONS: I might have found a few, but couldn’t remember them by the time I finished it.!

Simply, this is the best ever book on partition that could be.


MY REVIEW: 5/5


#penbooksandscalpel

This post is powered by Blogchatter's Book Review Program

I am participating in Blogchatter's #TBRChallenge

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

CHAPTER 1 - ALIZA AND AHMED

-
Image
Their eyes met for the second time in the day. Every time this happens, Aliza feels a ticklish sensation in her stomach. It's not that they have not been closer than just eye contact, but the jitters won't leave her alone. Her mother-in-law was busy scooping out the last few morsels of chicken from the bowl with a creaking noise that numbed Aliza's ears. Her father-in-law was lost in thoughts enjoying his chicken malai korma and tempered ghee rice.   ‘Aliza, can you get me some warm water?’ Aliza comes running with a jar of water to fulfil her new wife's duties, and Ahmed finds his moment just when Aliza is filling his tumbler and his parents are busy eating. He pokes her in the hip, which is faintly visible between her saree fold and her blouse. Aliza winces and moves behind quickly. She turns around to ensure no one has witnessed it and promptly returns to work, flashing a smile. Ahmed had to steal moments like these between daily activities because the house was alwa...
Read more

CHAPTER 4 - DISTANCE MATTERS

-
Image
'Congratulations on your promotion and transfer. We are looking forward to your full commitment to us. Do get back to this letter at the earliest with your answer.' Read the crafted piece of paper. Ahmed's parents were delighted and jumping with joy. They were chanting 'Alhamdulillah' fervently while Aliza stood confused. She could not make anything of this news because Ahmed's promotion meant everything to her. But his transfer would only mean that Aliza must stay back with her in-laws while he would visit only during weekends. She would happily do so, too, if not for her unsupportive mother-in-law. Aliza wanted to cry, and her eyes brimmed with tears that the world looked like a smudged canvas laying still in front of her. She looked at Ahmed pleadingly and waited until 10 to ask him if he really wanted to go. Asking in front of her in-laws would only mean the end of her good days. Ahmed did not look up because he knew what his transfer meant for both of them....
Read more

CHAPTER 2 - THE BACKSTORY - ALIZA

-
Image
  Aliza is the middle child of her family, with two older siblings and two younger ones. She did not always get her parents' attention because the oldest or the youngest sibling often stole it. She was mostly brought up by her oldest sister, Razia, who made sure she bathed, ate, and went to school on time. After Razia's marriage, her next older sibling Fahim brought home his wife, who had sworn to taunt Aliza all her life. Her younger twin siblings Samir and Ameera were at school, and they often stayed outdoors playing. So Aliza grew up to be the one taking care of her siblings while also managing to thrive herself. After finishing high school, she wanted to join college because her friends were also planning to, and they said studying in college will help a lot in the future. She was also the captain of her school's volleyball team and was a tough player. Aliza thought she could pursue her ambitions after school if she managed to convince her father. But her relatives had ...
Read more