Print length: 608 pages
My thoughts on the book:
'Zen' by Shabnam Minwalla is a captivating novel against the enchanting backdrop of Mumbai. The story seamlessly switches between two eras, following the lives of Zainab Essaji in 1935 and Zainab 'Zen' Currimji in 2019. The way the author intertwines these two stories is truly mesmerizing. The present is narrated in the third person from Zen's perspective while the past is written in diary format by Zainab Essaji.
The 19-year-old Zainab Essaji is a young Bohra woman in Bombay and finds it a suffocating thing to be a respected one. Despite being engaged to a man her parents chose, she falls in love with another. Meanwhile, her brother Faizullah and his wife Asma are involved in clandestine activities and participate in the Swadeshi movement, much to their father's dismay. She faces many restrictions from her parents and conflicts with her sister Fatima, but she becomes entangled with the activities of the freedom movement, with Mister K and is least frightened of her needs.
While the 17-year-old Zen is intelligent, sensible, and content with being invisible, she loves music and sticks to her small group of friends. However, things change when she meets a pompous NRI at a wedding who encourages her to try new things and they get to explore city together for his thesis. Reluctantly, she joins an anti-CAA debate due to her friend in school which lands her in an awkward situation.
I enjoyed how the book depicted the connections between the two Zainabs who were related by blood, lived as neighbors, and navigated the streets of Mumbai at different times. I especially appreciated the parallels, such as Zen wearing her great-grandmother Zainab's white saree, the unfinished peacock tail embroidery by Zainab framed in Zen's room, and how the past influenced the present. Additionally, I liked the chapter names based on different colors, each starting with a quote or lyrics from a song.
I really enjoyed the way the author described the city and how its colonization shaped the present-day city we live in. The details in the book, from Zainab's recipes in her diary to Zen's posters, were amazing. I appreciated how the book incorporated elements like messages, phones calls, the mystery black pages, and details of the city, and handled sensitive topics like CAA.
The book is a perfect blend of history and contemporary fiction. It includes elements of politics, history, mystery, grief, and romance. To find out the impact of Zen's involvement in the anti-CAA debate, the development and resolution of Zainab's romantic conflict, and more of Zen's interaction with the NRI, dive into the book right away!
Great
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