Jasmine Days.
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The story takes place in an unnamed middle eastern country during the time of revolt, freedom, protests and patriarchal society. The protagonist in the story is a migrant called Sameera who moves to the country and takes up the job of a RJ in a well known radio station. She notices different groups of people based on their language and religion and over the time, music brings a bunch of people together including Sameera.
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Here, she meets Ali, a man who later becomes her best friend, who voices his opinions about setting their country free by bringing down the Majesty's rule. When the turmoil sets in to end the rule, the immigrants are asked to leave the country, blood is shed and religions are divided into many. The book portrays the relationship between Shias and Sunnis which has been explained in detail.
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Sameera narrates the story by talking about the horrific things she had to witness during the Arab revolution. How her family became a target simply because they were immigrants and also belonged to the police department. I later searched on the internet about Arab revolution and was stunned by how ignorant I was about everything that had happened. Sameera struggles with her emotions as she witnesses many losses and about having to think of forgiveness and anger. The book leaves you with a question to ponder upon.
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Having had high expectations about this book after it won the JCB prize, I was really excited to give it a read. Half way through the book, I was still waiting for that strong pull. Though the plot was exceptionally written, it somehow fell flat in the middle. I was disappointed by Sameera's development in the very end. I know that I'll be among the minority by not actually liking this book as much as I wanted to. But this book did not excite me.
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QOTD - Which JCB nominated or prize winning book is your favourite?
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I would rate this book 2.7/5.