Ishq And Mushq
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More About the Author
Product Description
Margaret Forster
'Priya Basil has something all of her own, an emotional intensity and flashes of imagination .. She is anyone's equal. I greatly admired and enjoyed this novel'
Good Housekeeping
'With a verve for the colour of life ...this book surprises with its underlying wisdom'
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The cover (as someone else mentioned) caught my eye with this one. I have an interest in Indian novels and consequently devoured this one. Very easy reading, although after the first two chapters I was unsure about it. This is normally the point where I decide to continue or not and I'm pleased I did.
The characters are so well written and I loved how the plot became more complex as time went on. Simply, it is the story of one family, lies and deceit and how truth has a way of coming out (to a certain extent). More deeply, it is an analysis of society; how we try to be things we aren't and always try to make things better than the generation before us yet somehow making similar mistakes!
Politics, culture and history is weaved into this debut novel. You feel very involved with the characters; sometimes liking them and other times despising them. I always found reasons to feel sorry for Sarna the 'tormented' mother even when she was making life difficult for her family with her ways of dealing with things.
You appreciate the suffering Karam (Sarna's husband) went through in the early days of their relationship. Throughout the novel their struggle and dedication is evident and even though their's was not always a marriage filled with love it was clear they had a deepened sense of responsibilty and respect for their culture and each other. Although which one was the predominant feeling I couldn't say.
The style is very easy to read, you feel like you are being told a story and it was this that kept me going when I feel a little bored (which happened only a few times throughout the novel) because, as with real life, there is not always fast-paced action.
As more becomes revealed you become more involved with the characters, which is when I became hooked and in the end couldn't put it down. A very complete novel with all endings tied up neatly but still enough to allow you to wonder beyond the confines of the novel; what may have happened to the family.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
The characters are so well written and I loved how the plot became more complex as time went on. Simply, it is the story of one family, lies and deceit and how truth has a way of coming out (to a certain extent). More deeply, it is an analysis of society; how we try to be things we aren't and always try to make things better than the generation before us yet somehow making similar mistakes!
Politics, culture and history is weaved into this debut novel. You feel very involved with the characters; sometimes liking them and other times despising them. I always found reasons to feel sorry for Sarna the 'tormented' mother even when she was making life difficult for her family with her ways of dealing with things.
You appreciate the suffering Karam (Sarna's husband) went through in the early days of their relationship. Throughout the novel their struggle and dedication is evident and even though their's was not always a marriage filled with love it was clear they had a deepened sense of responsibilty and respect for their culture and each other. Although which one was the predominant feeling I couldn't say.
The style is very easy to read, you feel like you are being told a story and it was this that kept me going when I feel a little bored (which happened only a few times throughout the novel) because, as with real life, there is not always fast-paced action.
As more becomes revealed you become more involved with the characters, which is when I became hooked and in the end couldn't put it down. A very complete novel with all endings tied up neatly but still enough to allow you to wonder beyond the confines of the novel; what may have happened to the family.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I bought this book because I loved the cover, and it sounded interesting. I have just finished it, and absolutely loved it. It is very warm, funny, beautiful and moving - and extremely easy to read. Not in a beach-read kind of way, just the writer has a very accessible and fluid style. The characters are great - and the worlds are very vividly imagined. Some of the characters - the mother especially - are at times hilarious, and you really care about what happens to them. Thoroughly recommend it as a very intelligent, passionate, pleasurable read.
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is an incredibly assured and ambitious first novel, which was recommended to me by a friend. It begins amidst the turmoil of India's partition. One of the main characters, Karam, is caught up in the troubles and ends up in a refugee camp where he succumbs to Typhoid, or `Taffoid' as his wife describes it, and falls unconscious. Saved by a heroic act of kindness, Karam regrets that he `missed' the drama of the historical moment. This sparks his lifelong search for an alternative history which is described through various hilarious trips around the world where he always, inevitably, `misses' the event he's trying to participate in. His wife, Sarna, is another strongly portrayed character. Melodramatic, manipulative and mad about cooking, she is the driving force behind the story. Her infuriating yet heart-breaking inability to face up to the past is very well described, although the depths to which stoops are sometimes rather shocking.
The book is full of colourful and memorable lesser characters, like Mina Masi the mid-wife who has formula guaranteed to produce boy babies (I'd love to know if it actually works!) and Chatta Choda, the Sikh who cuts off his hair in a wild scene at a wedding party. I especially liked Oskar who is a quiet, thoughtful voice amidst all the drama and humour. His reflections on storytelling itself give the book an interesting philosophical dimension.
Overall, I thought this was a great family story interestingly linked to different political events that give it a wide appeal and relevance.
The book is full of colourful and memorable lesser characters, like Mina Masi the mid-wife who has formula guaranteed to produce boy babies (I'd love to know if it actually works!) and Chatta Choda, the Sikh who cuts off his hair in a wild scene at a wedding party. I especially liked Oskar who is a quiet, thoughtful voice amidst all the drama and humour. His reflections on storytelling itself give the book an interesting philosophical dimension.
Overall, I thought this was a great family story interestingly linked to different political events that give it a wide appeal and relevance.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Love and smell
"Remember, there are only two things that you can't hide - ishq and mushq: love and smell."
Karam travels to India at the time of the Partition, where he's struck down... Read more
Karam travels to India at the time of the Partition, where he's struck down... Read more
Published 3 months ago by annie hughes
Ishq and Mushq
I really enjoyed this book. I loved how the author wrote about the different characters in the book, especially Sarna. Read more
Published 11 months ago by mw
Ishq and Mushq
Wow!! A delicious book..It's a fantastic story as someone above described of trying to be something you're not and how secrets/lies have a tendency of coming out in the end. Read more
Published 15 months ago by sonal_270
Ishq mushq!
This book is a must read, the story is so colourful and enjoyable and realistic without the cliches and typical fairytale endings. Read more
Published 18 months ago by MsAbbasi
One to watch
Miss Basil is a talented writer who has an amusing and imaginative way with language, as well as a particular ear for dialogue. Read more
Published on 8 Jun 2008 by Nod
So real, I thought I was reading about my entire family!!
This book is simply excellent! I would recommend it to anyone, particularly to any first and second generation Sikh, who is interested in a great story with solid characters. Read more
Published on 9 Dec 2007 by A reader
Two things you can't hide...
...good story and good writing!
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. I agree with the previous two reviews - particularly liked the style of the storytelling. Read more
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. I agree with the previous two reviews - particularly liked the style of the storytelling. Read more
Published on 12 Mar 2007 by Leo
Ishq & Mushq
Great read. Funny and yet sad - just some of the opposite emotions well - balanced throughout the book. Situations and circumstances that apply to us all. Read more
Published on 27 Feb 2007 by Chaudhry
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