The Wish Maker

Initially, I found The Wish Maker a difficult book to follow. The beginning has a tendency to meander and ramble a bit so I found it hard at times to follow the narrative thread. It took me a while to understand that the first chapter takes place in the present while subsequent chapters take place in the past. My major quibble about the book would be with the timeline because it is hard to tell at times whether the events described take place in the present or past. Once I got past my confusion, though, I found the book to be an interesting coming-of-age tale. It centers mostly around Zaki and Samar, who are cousins but are brought up almost like siblings. Much of the book describes their childhood and it's a childhood that isn't all that different from an American childhood. However, it is set against a background of some major historical events in Pakistan. It's interesting how these events are treated almost casually but it also makes sense that they would be treated thus. The characters, like most of us, are concerned with their day-to-day events and so, even though these historical events are important to them, they sometimes take a backseat to the characters' more immediate concerns. Another aspect of the novel that I found interesting were the ways in which Western culture has influenced Pakistan in the past and continues to influence it today. I found a scene in a Pizza Hut to be particularly vivid and it makes for a nice reminder of how taking one small piece of a culture can lead to a somewhat warped view of the whole. Sethi has a nice voice and spins a good yarn. However, I think he could benefit from some brevity and a bit more clarity. I had a hard time getting through the first part of the book and even put it aside for a while and read a couple of books in between. I'm glad that I persisted with it but had the narrative been tighter right from the beginning, I would probably have enjoyed the novel more. The risk is that not every reader will persist and I think that would be a shame because I ultimately found this to be a good story about the impact of family relationships and how they shape individuals.

'The Wish Maker" is a story about a Pakistani family told from the viewpoint of the protagonist, Zaki. Belonging to a family consisting of mostly females, the stories are centered around the female characters of the book: his strong-willed mother, the rebellious cousin and the comical combination of the clucking grandmother and aunts. Besides accounts of growing pains that are universal, there are also experiences of living and growing up in Pakistan. I enjoyed learning about the history and politics of Pakistan as I read the book. The book started out pretty slowly, but definitely picked up after the first two chapters. I enjoyed the second half of the book more than the first. Comparisons with "The Kite Runner" is inevitable, but this book is different. This is more a story of the women/people around the protagonist, rather than a story about the little boy himseld. "The Wish Maker" is very easy to read, with constant reminders of the wishes that the different characters make. It lacks the smoothness, easy rhythm and a certain poetry, but it nevertheless is a decent first novel. The plot is interesting, and the characters are believeable and relateable. I would be very interested in reading Ali Sethi's next book.

Despite the fact that Zucki, the narrator/protagonist of The Wish Maker, is a boy, this is really a look at several generations of women in Pakistani family. The book covers the lives of Zucki's grandmother, mother, aunts, and cousin in post-colonial Pakistan to the present. Their lives are shaped by the religious and political changes that occurred during Pakistan's turbulent past few decades. The style and story of The Wish Maker are great, and I had a hard time putting it down once I got started. My one complaint was that as someone not overly familiar with Pakistani culture or with the intricacies of their political history I often had a hard time following the action that was going on in the background of the characters' lives. I ended up having to read up on the history of the region a bit more in order to fully appreciate the book. It would have been nice if the author had found a way to work a slightly more in depth explanation of what was going in the country into the book.

This is exceptionally well written for a first book. It is obvious Sethi has studied the literature of successful Pakistani authors - and has learned from them. His writing is smooth and his book is pleasing to read. For those who like family sagas and/or coming-of-age books, this is a winner. There were some shortcomings, though. I usually enjoy the very detailed novels from Pakistani and Indian authors. This one had all the drawn out descriptions but spent too much time going nowhere. The middle of the book dragged for me. I think he should have reduced the size of this by about a hundred pages. If this book had been written by a veteran author, I would not give it more than three stars. Since this is a first novel, and since Sethi shows so much promise, it is definitely worth four stars. I would gladly read any of his future works.

At first I was hesitated to choose this book as I was kind of over the "Kite Runner" et al, but I am glad I decided to pick The Wish Maker. I loved this book, whipped right through it, as it was so enjoyable to read. The plot begins in the present and switches back into the past. We have Zaki, a little boy as our narrator, he has been fatherless since age -2 months. The story mostly takes place in a traditional Pakistani middle to upper class home. I love the voyeurism of seeing how other cultures really are in their homes(they're basically just like us). In Zaki's home there are two forces, the Matriach, Daadi, a very traditional and stern woman and Zaki's mother, Zakia, a feminist and modern woman. There is also the pseudo-sister, Samir Api, who comes to live with Zaki's family as the daughter of his Grandmother's sister. It's a bit mysterious at first as to why Samir comes to live there but eventually the stories unravel. Samir Api is a charming girl who dreams of a Bollywood Actor sweeping her away someday. Zaki's adoration of Samir is evident yet subtle. We end up asking ourselves,which is a better way to nurture children, old school or modern? the answer is probably in the perfect mix of a multi-generational household. I love a fictional book that I can learn something from and I did learn a lot of fringe information about the era of Benazir Bhutto and her father's execution, of how pinning hopes on political leaders can often be disappointing. I also learned about the almost "Civil War" like parallels of the Pakistanis and the Indians. Pakistani children of the Grandmother's generation grew up next to Indian children, Parsi children, then one day, they are all gone, and those friendship ties are severed forever. Life goes on. About halfway through the book I thought it was about women, but it really is much more than that, Zaki is raised in a household of women, but he lives a rich life at school with boys where he watches and learns. He is fatherless but he has strong "back up" with all the women at home who look out for him in their individual ways. I highly recommend this book, the writer is quite talented (I think this is his first book?) He doesn't hit us over the head with the internationalism, you quickly slip into the plot and relate as human to human, not culture to culture. One thing is for sure after reading the book you will know what that costume the Pakistanis wear is called, a Shalwar Kameez. It is also worn in India but here is the definition: Traditional suit consisting of three pieces: a loose fitting, drawstring pajama like pant, a long, tunic style shirt and a long, complimenting or matching scarf. It is generally accepted that the kameez should come below the knee to the mid-calf region. The kameez is usually fitted throughout the shoulder and bust area and loose from the hips down to the hem. Side walking vents (splits) are added to both sides.