Book Review # 106 Snakes in the Meadows : Ayaz Kohli

This book was sent by the author in exchange of a honest and unbiased reviews.

Blurb:

Jammu And Kashmir, 1987. In the hilly village of Pathri Aali, where legends appear true, Aslam and Ashwar, two young lovers, dream of marriage and of good things of life. But that is not to be. Unable to cope, Aslam leaves Pathri Aali forever. Years later, as men migrate to Saudi Arabia for employment, Pathri Aali is populated mostly by women and children. Soon they realize the Mujahideen, who guise themselves as their liberators, are the worst perpetrators, and misery seems inescapable. Ashwar refuses to be cowed down by this reign of terror and is determined not to let it devastate the once-peaceful village. The only one she can bank on is Aslam—and she calls out to him across the distance of time and space, to return and live up to the legends of their village. Snakes in the Meadows is a saga of the onset of militancy, and the suffering and the resilience of Pir Panjal—the ‘And’ of Jammu And Kashmir.

My Take:

Kashmir, heaven on earth. Also famous for spices, tea and handicrafts a beauty that is always on alert thanks to the ever going fight between the two countries claiming their rights. Visiting as a tourist is one thing but being a part of the valley and struggling for even basic rights and being sandwiched between militants and terrorists is another.

Set in the early 90's this book is a gripping tale of the India Pakistan animosity which still keeps peeping even now. Back then it was at its worst.The people of Jammu and Kashmir are the worst hit when these countries fight. Very sensitive topics such as the family rivalry, rape, molestation, terrorism are emotionally weaved by the author in this story of two lovers.

Aslam and  Ashwar fall in love but are separated thanks to the family rivalry. Ashwar is forced to marry a widower, father of two children while Aslam flees to Mumbai for building a future. With regular wars happening between militants and terrorists the villagers are forced to take sides ,both sides using them by luring them with promises of  a better future and failing them.

With Aslam back and mass murder happening around , to protect the dwindling villagers, ladies and children they come together to form a community. A story that is very thought provoking as we sitting in comforts of our homes can never imagine the plights of people staying in the border who have fight for survival all the times.

Spinning the story from the village of Pathri Ali to Dubai to Mumbai the author weaves magic by creating the characters and their backdrop. The language is easy to comprehend and the narration is smooth flowing. All the characters are developed well.

I would rate this 4.5 for the narration and the storyline.