Book Review: THE RUNAWAYS by Fatima Bhutto

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

How far would you run to escape your life?

Anita lives in Karachi's biggest slum. Her mother is a maalish wali, paid to massage the tired bones of rich women. But Anita's life will change forever when she meets her elderly neighbour, a man whose shelves of books promise an escape to a different world.

On the other side of Karachi lives Monty, whose father owns half the city and expects great things of him. But when a beautiful and rebellious girl joins his school, Monty will find his life going in a very different direction.

Sunny's father left India and went to England to give his son the opportunities he never had. Yet Sunny doesn't fit in anywhere. It's only when his charismatic cousin comes back into his life that he realises his life could hold more possibilities than he ever imagined.

These three lives will cross in the desert, a place where life and death walk hand in hand, and where their closely guarded secrets will force them to make a terrible choice.

MY THOUGHTS

THE RUNAWAYS by Fatima Bhutto is a story about three adolescents each struggling with the perpetual questions about belonging and identity. Sunny, Monty and Anita are separated by geography, social status, and wealth, yet they all experience similar standpoints; they’re directionless and without purpose. They’re all looking for validation and sense of worth, and that makes them vulnerable to influences from strangers and friends alike.

The book sounded interesting and showed promise at times but I didn’t find it an overall compelling read. The interweaving of the character’s lives is handled well, and there are a few surprises along the way, but in general, nothing about the individual journeys surprised me. A forgone conclusion, if you will. Also not helping is the length of this book; it’s too long.

 

Review copy courtesy of Verso Books and Netgalley  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Fatima Bhutto was born in Kabul in 1982.

Fatima graduated from Columbia University in 2004, majoring in Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures and from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in 2005 with a Masters in South Asian Government and Politics. 

Fatima lives and writes in Karachi, Pakistan.

http://www.fatimabhutto.com.pk/