Beyond the Cayenne Wall: Exotic Short Fiction

Last month I had the pleasure to review Saffron Dreams and to interview the author, Shaila Abdullah.

This month I read her debut book, Beyond the Cayenne Wall: Collection of Short Stories, published in 2005, which received the Jury Prize for Outstanding Fiction--the highest award in the Norumbega Fiction Awards--and the DIY Convention Award.

Although you don't typically find short fiction on summer reading lists, short stories are perfect for a morning at the beach, or an evening on the porch. My problem with short stories is that I tend to race through them, one right after the next. I finished reading Beyond the Cayenne Wall all too quickly, and longed for another story.

In Beyond the Cayenne Wall, Shaila Abdullah presents short stories about the often tumultuous lives of young women in Karachi, Pakistan. She brings Pakistan's largest city to life with vivid, descriptive prose, and even includes a glossary of Urdu words used in the book. These stories are not for the faint-of-heart. Each story is poignant and gives us an intimate look into the hearts and minds of seven Pakistani women:

Tannu, who's not allowed to seek work outside of the house, because she's seen as a "prized cow", an "incubator" for prospective offspring, but who fails to conceive.

Dhool, who's married to a man willing to allow his eleven-year-old daughter to get married to a rich old man.

Minnah, on the brink of marriage, who worries greatly about the secret she carries in her heart.

Shiwali, who's just going through the motions out of duty in a loveless marriage.

Siham, who wants to know the truth about her biological family, especially her father.

Mansi, who brings her aging mother from Pakistan to Texas to live with her.

Nyssa, who fears she will have to give back her beloved child, Vera.

Although these stories are fictional, they're based on the traditional way of life in Pakistan, which includes arranged marriages and limited roles for women. After reading this absorbing collection of short stories, I found myself grateful for the many freedoms I enjoy, and too often take for granted.

These haunting stories will remain in my heart and mind for years to come.

If you've read Beyond the Cayenne Wall or have a related comment or question, I'd enjoy hearing from you.

Saffron Dreams: A Unique Love Story

Like many others, the unexpected, horrific events and images of September 11, 2001 are forever etched in my mind. I grew up in NY and still have relatives there, and had walked, for the last time, through the bottom of the World Trade Center Towers about a month before they burst into flames and collapsed. I approached this book with a touch of apprehension, although I was at the same time optimistic, having read positive reviews for Saffron Dreams beforehand. You'd think that a book about a young woman who loses her husband in that tragedy would be morose and depressing, but instead this story is engrossing and life-affirming. Once I picked it up I couldn't stop reading it.

Written by Pakistani-American author Shaila Abdullah, Saffron Dreams is a novel about a Muslim woman, Arissa Illahi, told in the first person narrative, and is part of the Reflections of America Series by Modern History Press, which explores multiculturalism in written form. Published in 2009, it reads like a memoir, but is a fictional story about a woman who's both a painter and a writer. Arissa leaves her native Pakistan to live in NY with her husband Faizan, who's a writer but waits tables to make ends meet. Expecting their first child, they are happy and hopeful about their dreams for the future, a future that is altered drastically on the morning of September 11, 2001, when Faizan goes to work at his job as a waiter in the World Trade Center but never returns home. Arissa's dreams are shattered.

Pregnant and alone, but supported by her in-laws and other family members, Arissa moves to Texas and attempts to get on with her life. Along with her grief, she's haunted by the way she's held responsible for the attacks of 9-11, simply because she's Muslim. This book deals sensitively with the issue of being Muslim at a time when all Muslims are blamed for the actions of a few terrorists. Another issue Arissa must contend with is having a child with multiple disabilities. This is handled well by the author, and we get a sense of Arissa's deep love for and dedication to her child.

Another strength of this novel is the relationship between Arissa and Faizan, which is depicted with skill and artistry. We feel Arissa's profound loss and equally deep love for her late husband. In addition to working as a writer and caring for her child, Arissa decides to complete the manuscript she's discovered, Faizan's unfinished book, his legacy, at the urging of her mother-in-law. More than anything else, Saffron Dreams is a beautiful love story, a love which endures and lives on, and grows even stronger as time passes.

As always, your comments are welcomed. Have you read Saffron Dreams or Beyond the Cayenne Wall, Shaila Abdullah's collection of short stories (which is now on my TBR list)? What other love stories do you recommend?

Special thanks to Kristina for sending me a copy of Saffron Dreams to review.