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girlfrombookland's review against another edition
2.0
Thinner than skin, a book follow people... Nadir; photographer who tried to make livelihood through photography.
Maryam (migrate in northern Pakistan) Ghafoor (waif off from his own people) Irfan (nadir’s friend) Rehanna (nadir’s girlfriend, a paki-Us citizen)
Let’s talk about good things first; Author put a touchy topic in paperback, which literally very sensitive and need to be heard. The people and different cultures in northern sides are too complex to understand, so it was a beauty to learn and to experience that such a variety can be witnessed in short time.
Now the start;
When the story starts, I was invested into it... maybe for 40-50 pages. The point of nadir upper level person keep bragging about real pictures of Pakistan and people on streets and the dirt, was so awful to read but the same time natural. So it made me excited to go for more.
But as I keep reading there’s time came when I find myself yawning and left with nothing but boredom and a quick hint of done with this book.
Reasons of me not liking this:
1. The writing style; it’s so boring and enough to make you go for slumber... long paragraphs and weird characterization of words, literally.
2. Characters; God I hate Nadir and Rehana the most, why every girl need to be portrait as a specie came from other planet? I mean what the nonsense was even going on with every character? There’s no common ground or reason with all people and it was like Author try to drag it or to convey something, maybe trying to get complex, but she utterly failed.
3. Too much going on; It was a story, so it needs to be in sequence, instead Author put every single thing she knew or had knowledge about cultures and religion and diversity. The thoughts and emotions and pain what not she put in it? I mean yes there’s bad which lead to the hope of getting a Better future but this much? I doubt.
And I think that’s enough for me to say this book disappoints me in many ways, I assume something brilliant and vibrant over this topic but Nahh. Nothing inspires me till end and it left nothing but a burden to get done with.
Thank you.
Maryam (migrate in northern Pakistan) Ghafoor (waif off from his own people) Irfan (nadir’s friend) Rehanna (nadir’s girlfriend, a paki-Us citizen)
Let’s talk about good things first; Author put a touchy topic in paperback, which literally very sensitive and need to be heard. The people and different cultures in northern sides are too complex to understand, so it was a beauty to learn and to experience that such a variety can be witnessed in short time.
Now the start;
When the story starts, I was invested into it... maybe for 40-50 pages. The point of nadir upper level person keep bragging about real pictures of Pakistan and people on streets and the dirt, was so awful to read but the same time natural. So it made me excited to go for more.
But as I keep reading there’s time came when I find myself yawning and left with nothing but boredom and a quick hint of done with this book.
Reasons of me not liking this:
1. The writing style; it’s so boring and enough to make you go for slumber... long paragraphs and weird characterization of words, literally.
2. Characters; God I hate Nadir and Rehana the most, why every girl need to be portrait as a specie came from other planet? I mean what the nonsense was even going on with every character? There’s no common ground or reason with all people and it was like Author try to drag it or to convey something, maybe trying to get complex, but she utterly failed.
3. Too much going on; It was a story, so it needs to be in sequence, instead Author put every single thing she knew or had knowledge about cultures and religion and diversity. The thoughts and emotions and pain what not she put in it? I mean yes there’s bad which lead to the hope of getting a Better future but this much? I doubt.
And I think that’s enough for me to say this book disappoints me in many ways, I assume something brilliant and vibrant over this topic but Nahh. Nothing inspires me till end and it left nothing but a burden to get done with.
Thank you.
alizahm_'s review against another edition
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
This book was really strange. It had me in the first half, confused me for the third quarter, and totally lost me at the end. The decisions made by characters become more and more nonsensical, to the point where I was waiting for the book to end with the line "and then he woke up". Nothing was resolved well, and it felt as though the author was trying to hide behind her endless odes to the mountains to compensate for the sheer fuckery that is going on here. She doesn't know what this is either, but wants to fool you otherwise.
What I liked:
- The reverence with which the mountains were described. There was real passion in the page each time a peak or natural landscape was mentioned.
- Maryam as a character. She was very under-utilised in the book despite her being the most intriguing.
- The boat scene. Exceptional, tense, so much opportunity to expand.
What I disliked:
- The bum ass narrator. His dad is right, he truly is a whiny, pathetic little loser. Spent the entire book complaining and whining. No problem solving skills either. How does he have a girlfriend?
- Farhana. No thought was put into her character. There is zero explanation for why she behaves as she does, and this is passed off as some quirky trait rather than poor the character development it is.
- The ending. Genuinely wtf? Things that no one at all saw coming. Like truly just random, out of the blue ends to several storylines that do not serve any purpose besides confusion.
What I liked:
- The reverence with which the mountains were described. There was real passion in the page each time a peak or natural landscape was mentioned.
- Maryam as a character. She was very under-utilised in the book despite her being the most intriguing.
- The boat scene. Exceptional, tense, so much opportunity to expand.
What I disliked:
- The bum ass narrator. His dad is right, he truly is a whiny, pathetic little loser. Spent the entire book complaining and whining. No problem solving skills either. How does he have a girlfriend?
- Farhana. No thought was put into her character. There is zero explanation for why she behaves as she does, and this is passed off as some quirky trait rather than poor the character development it is.
- The ending. Genuinely wtf? Things that no one at all saw coming. Like truly just random, out of the blue ends to several storylines that do not serve any purpose besides confusion.
ammarakh's review against another edition
3.0
Whenever I come across an English novel about Pakistan and terrorism, I dread a sensationalist generalisation of Pakistani society for a foreign audience. Although I began Thinner than Skin with the same sense of foreboding, I found myself captivated by the narrative just a few pages into the book.
Far from confirming my misgivings, Thinner than Skin sketches a rich portrait of the indigenous culture of northern Pakistan, and highlights the plight of ordinary people in a society in flux. The lives of three individuals— a photographer, a pagan woman and a nomad — are transformed in the setting of Northwest Pakistan— a region of rugged, untouched natural beauty punctured by the wounds of war and terrorism. The plot is made up of three stories: the story of Nadir, a Pakistani photographer in America who is romantically engaged with a Pakistani-German girl, Farhanna, the story of Maryam and her family from the nomad tribe of Gujjar as they struggle to hold on to their customs in a world that is rapidly changing, and finally the story of Ghafoor, man who chooses the life of a wandering tradesman over that of a nomad.
As Nadir prepares his journey to Pakistan, he is advised to forgo his passion for aesthetics and nature in photography. Instead, he is told: “Show us the dirt. The misery”. Fed with stereotypical images of Pakistan, Nadir is apprehensive but Farhana wistfully longs to “return” to the country of her origin. When the couple finally visits Kaghan valley with their friends, Irfan, a widower, and Wes, an environmentalist who is fascinated by Pakistani glaciers, they encounter Maryam and her family — a meeting that will alter their destinies.
Uzma Aslam’s prose is vivid, bringing to life the sensuous setting of the novel as well as the everyday rituals of village life. Interwoven with folk legends and superstitious beliefs, Thinner than Skin moves between a narration of the present and the past, engaging the reader in the details of the plot and yet maintaining good dose of mystery. Although the plot starts out brilliantly, I was disappointed to note that the story loses its vibrancy as it progresses and concludes rather abruptly.
But these minor drawbacks aside, I found Thinner than Skin to be a compelling narrative and empathic portrait of a beautiful region destroyed by dark forces, and of the joys and tragedies of the individuals inhabiting it.
-- Published in Express Tribune Magazine
http://tribune.com.pk/story/497463/book-review-thinner-than-skin-broken-images/
Far from confirming my misgivings, Thinner than Skin sketches a rich portrait of the indigenous culture of northern Pakistan, and highlights the plight of ordinary people in a society in flux. The lives of three individuals— a photographer, a pagan woman and a nomad — are transformed in the setting of Northwest Pakistan— a region of rugged, untouched natural beauty punctured by the wounds of war and terrorism. The plot is made up of three stories: the story of Nadir, a Pakistani photographer in America who is romantically engaged with a Pakistani-German girl, Farhanna, the story of Maryam and her family from the nomad tribe of Gujjar as they struggle to hold on to their customs in a world that is rapidly changing, and finally the story of Ghafoor, man who chooses the life of a wandering tradesman over that of a nomad.
As Nadir prepares his journey to Pakistan, he is advised to forgo his passion for aesthetics and nature in photography. Instead, he is told: “Show us the dirt. The misery”. Fed with stereotypical images of Pakistan, Nadir is apprehensive but Farhana wistfully longs to “return” to the country of her origin. When the couple finally visits Kaghan valley with their friends, Irfan, a widower, and Wes, an environmentalist who is fascinated by Pakistani glaciers, they encounter Maryam and her family — a meeting that will alter their destinies.
Uzma Aslam’s prose is vivid, bringing to life the sensuous setting of the novel as well as the everyday rituals of village life. Interwoven with folk legends and superstitious beliefs, Thinner than Skin moves between a narration of the present and the past, engaging the reader in the details of the plot and yet maintaining good dose of mystery. Although the plot starts out brilliantly, I was disappointed to note that the story loses its vibrancy as it progresses and concludes rather abruptly.
But these minor drawbacks aside, I found Thinner than Skin to be a compelling narrative and empathic portrait of a beautiful region destroyed by dark forces, and of the joys and tragedies of the individuals inhabiting it.
-- Published in Express Tribune Magazine
http://tribune.com.pk/story/497463/book-review-thinner-than-skin-broken-images/
sarahreadsaverylot's review against another edition
5.0
One of the best books I've read in a long long time.
There is a crystalline sharpness to her prose and an urgency to her story that beguiles and haunts. Her language burns in the same way that snowflakes do, or that honey burns your mouth. There is a deep and familiar ache that spreads across the pages of this book and into its reader.
Expert handling of the myriad politics (class, race, religious, gender, international and personal...) and a stunning display of empathy and compassion for her unbearably human characters that is matched only by the portrayal of a landscape so raw and open it takes one's breath away.
There is a crystalline sharpness to her prose and an urgency to her story that beguiles and haunts. Her language burns in the same way that snowflakes do, or that honey burns your mouth. There is a deep and familiar ache that spreads across the pages of this book and into its reader.
Expert handling of the myriad politics (class, race, religious, gender, international and personal...) and a stunning display of empathy and compassion for her unbearably human characters that is matched only by the portrayal of a landscape so raw and open it takes one's breath away.
msmisal's review against another edition
5.0
Definitely my favorite non-satire book by a Pakistani author so far. Cannot form words for a review at the moment but there will be one...eventually.
dj353's review against another edition
DNF@72
I tried. I really tried. Twice. It didn't work.
I tried. I really tried. Twice. It didn't work.
tubaisha's review against another edition
3.0
Strolling through my local bookstore in Karachi, I came across a copy of Thinner Than Skin and I just knew I had to buy it because I was actively searching for books that would remind me of home when I am away. So naturally, I could not wait to get into this book and I actually find myself enjoying stories about Kashmir and absolutely loved "The Far Field" by Madhuri Vijay which was written from an Indian perspective. This time around I really wanted to read about it from a Pakistani perspective and I truly enjoyed the contrast between the two perspectives. The story lines are completely different and focus on very differing topics with Thinner Than Skin going more in depth about Kashmiri folklore and the vast stories behind the beautiful lakes and mountains in Kashmir.
The story follows four people, Nadir, Farhana, Irfan and Wes who have made their way to Kashmir. Every character has an interesting backstory which makes their trip even more special and also really damn infuriating. Khan has a melodic and exhaustive way of writing, her words pull you so deep into the story that you will find yourself recalling very vivid details without ever having visited a place. There was so much to uncover about all the different characters, I felt an attachment to all the characters and that is exactly why I have given this book two stars. It's solely for how much potential the characters had and the grace with which this story could have moved forward... COULD HAVE.
Towards the end, it stopped making sense to me! A lot of what happened in the last couple pages caught me off-guard in the worst of ways. Never would have I ever expected the ending that this book has and I also don't understand why?! It felt forced to create that twist between Irfan and Farhana and for me, it really destroyed this image of Irfan that was being created throughout the whole book. Maybe its something that people would appreciate but I couldn't bring myself to make any sense of it.
I did however fell deeply in love with Maryam's story and cared for her. Through Maryam, I was able to learn so much about the importance of faith, of holding on to things that matter, of family and of privilege - the awareness of which Farhana lacked so damn much!
The story follows four people, Nadir, Farhana, Irfan and Wes who have made their way to Kashmir. Every character has an interesting backstory which makes their trip even more special and also really damn infuriating. Khan has a melodic and exhaustive way of writing, her words pull you so deep into the story that you will find yourself recalling very vivid details without ever having visited a place. There was so much to uncover about all the different characters, I felt an attachment to all the characters and that is exactly why I have given this book two stars. It's solely for how much potential the characters had and the grace with which this story could have moved forward... COULD HAVE.
Towards the end, it stopped making sense to me! A lot of what happened in the last couple pages caught me off-guard in the worst of ways. Never would have I ever expected the ending that this book has and I also don't understand why?! It felt forced to create that twist between Irfan and Farhana and for me, it really destroyed this image of Irfan that was being created throughout the whole book. Maybe its something that people would appreciate but I couldn't bring myself to make any sense of it.
I did however fell deeply in love with Maryam's story and cared for her. Through Maryam, I was able to learn so much about the importance of faith, of holding on to things that matter, of family and of privilege - the awareness of which Farhana lacked so damn much!
anamazam's review against another edition
2.0
Thinner than skin, a book follow people... Nadir; photographer who tried to make livelihood through photography.
Maryam (migrate in northern Pakistan) Ghafoor (waif off from his own people) Irfan (nadir’s friend) Rehanna (nadir’s girlfriend, a paki-Us citizen)
Let’s talk about good things first; Author put a touchy topic in paperback, which literally very sensitive and need to be heard. The people and different cultures in northern sides are too complex to understand, so it was a beauty to learn and to experience that such a variety can be witnessed in short time.
Now the start;
When the story starts, I was invested into it... maybe for 40-50 pages. The point of nadir upper level person keep bragging about real pictures of Pakistan and people on streets and the dirt, was so awful to read but the same time natural. So it made me excited to go for more.
But as I keep reading there’s time came when I find myself yawning and left with nothing but boredom and a quick hint of done with this book.
Reasons of me not liking this:
1. The writing style; it’s so boring and enough to make you go for slumber... long paragraphs and weird characterization of words, literally.
2. Characters; God I hate Nadir and Rehana the most, why every girl need to be portrait as a specie came from other planet? I mean what the nonsense was even going on with every character? There’s no common ground or reason with all people and it was like Author try to drag it or to convey something, maybe trying to get complex, but she utterly failed.
3. Too much going on; It was a story, so it needs to be in sequence, instead Author put every single thing she knew or had knowledge about cultures and religion and diversity. The thoughts and emotions and pain what not she put in it? I mean yes there’s bad which lead to the hope of getting a Better future but this much? I doubt.
And I think that’s enough for me to say this book disappoints me in many ways, I assume something brilliant and vibrant over this topic but Nahh. Nothing inspires me till end and it left nothing but a burden to get done with.
Thank you.
Maryam (migrate in northern Pakistan) Ghafoor (waif off from his own people) Irfan (nadir’s friend) Rehanna (nadir’s girlfriend, a paki-Us citizen)
Let’s talk about good things first; Author put a touchy topic in paperback, which literally very sensitive and need to be heard. The people and different cultures in northern sides are too complex to understand, so it was a beauty to learn and to experience that such a variety can be witnessed in short time.
Now the start;
When the story starts, I was invested into it... maybe for 40-50 pages. The point of nadir upper level person keep bragging about real pictures of Pakistan and people on streets and the dirt, was so awful to read but the same time natural. So it made me excited to go for more.
But as I keep reading there’s time came when I find myself yawning and left with nothing but boredom and a quick hint of done with this book.
Reasons of me not liking this:
1. The writing style; it’s so boring and enough to make you go for slumber... long paragraphs and weird characterization of words, literally.
2. Characters; God I hate Nadir and Rehana the most, why every girl need to be portrait as a specie came from other planet? I mean what the nonsense was even going on with every character? There’s no common ground or reason with all people and it was like Author try to drag it or to convey something, maybe trying to get complex, but she utterly failed.
3. Too much going on; It was a story, so it needs to be in sequence, instead Author put every single thing she knew or had knowledge about cultures and religion and diversity. The thoughts and emotions and pain what not she put in it? I mean yes there’s bad which lead to the hope of getting a Better future but this much? I doubt.
And I think that’s enough for me to say this book disappoints me in many ways, I assume something brilliant and vibrant over this topic but Nahh. Nothing inspires me till end and it left nothing but a burden to get done with.
Thank you.
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