2012 Book 162: Our Lady of Alice Bhatti Written by Mohammed Hanif, Narrated by Nimra Bucha
Reason for Reading: Shortlisted for the Wellcome Trust Book Prize
Review
After spending over a year in a women's prison on some jacked up manslaughter charges, Alice Bhatti secures a job as a junior nurse in a Catholic hospital in the predominantly Muslim city of Karachi. There, she fights to salvage some amount of pride as she fends off roaming hands and gun-toting suitors. In the midst of this chaos, she manages to save a few lives. But is she performing miracles? Hanif's narrative has some truly beautiful moments, but I was left wondering: What's the point? There wasn't really a story-line...it was just a series of events. The scenery and characters supported the novel, but they lacked plot. This book was shortlisted for the Wellcome Trust book prize, and I understand why - it displays the woes of practicing medicine in a religiously-charged, seedy environment. I certainly have a better appreciation, now, for medical practitioners in neighborhoods like this. I was moved by the characters, but not enthralled by the story.
I did think this sounded like it had to cram a lot of different themes into one book and none of the reviews I've read have given a strong sense of the plot. I'll hopefully pick up a copy of this in the New Year.
ReplyDeleteMarie
http://www.girlvsbookshelf.blogspot.com
Yeah, it's hard to describe a plot when there isn't one. :) It's not a book to rush to the top of your TBR pile, but I don't regret reading it, either.
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