Maps for Lost Lovers

This uncompromisingly honest--and often uncomfortable to read--story is told through the eyes of Jugnu's brother's family who live next door. Shamas is director of the local Community Relations Council; a liberal, educated man he still mourns the passing of communism and yearns for passion in his later years. His wife Kaukub, daughter of a Pakistani cleric, is also in mourning for the passing of her devout Muslim upbringing and is forced to watch her three children turn "native". She tries increasingly desperate measures to turn them back to Islam. Pakistani-born Nadeem Aslam skilfully intertwines myths and legends with a harsh, modern reality. Tragic sub-plots of Romeo-and-Juliet proportions abound. And while some of the extended descriptive passages sit uneasily on the page and, towards the end, several rants against Islam forced through the mouths of characters become thinly-veiled lectures, nevertheless Maps for Lost Lovers is an epic work and an important milestone in British literature that deserves to be widely read by all multicultural societies seeking mutual tolerance and understanding. --Carey Green

Reader Reviews:

Leaving aside the authors social/intellectual snobbery, this is still an incisive and poignant read (0/0 people found this helpful)

Being a british born pakistani woman myself, my first reaction to this book was that it was not written with me as a target reading audience in mind (mainly because I think the author thinks all Pakistani women are reactionary, narrow minded victims who are too busy being abused by their parents/husbands/society at large to read books). It seemed to be a collection of extreme characters and situations, and the unrelentingly negative and patronising view of british pakistani social and religious customs sometimes reads like a collection of every single cliche the author could think of. And then there is the "look at me I'm a writer don't you know" prose ... which just hurt my head at times ... however I would recommend you stick with this book ... as amongst it all there are some poignant and incisive moments and although this is not the world that the vast majority of British Pakistanis live in, it is still a world that exists out there for a minority. You only have to pick up the paper this morning to see a story of 26 year old husband who beat his 19 year old wife to death for being "evil" under the watch of his parents and sisters to know that ... if only to make a personal statement of sympathy for that poor girl's plight, read it.

I gave up... (2/2 people found this helpful)

I felt compelled to read this book because of some of the reviews it has received and the fact that it is set in an unspecified northern mill town (where I was brought up)however, I struggled with the flowery prose and the ambling storyline to the halfway point. In the end I had to admit defeat, just not my type of read.

missing that something extra (1/1 people found this helpful)

I thought I would enjoy reading about a close-knit Pakistani community and the disappearance of two lovers....it could have been interesting culturally but I found the book very heavy going. Not so much due to the story line but due to the writer's prose. This included in the first few pages...
Very very long sentences ...7-9 lines long...
Descriptions that are often longwinded...
There was more but at times I had the impression that the authour was trying too hard to get the prose right...

A superb examination of Islam and the lives of first generation immigrant communities (1/2 people found this helpful)

The book takes place against the background of the honour killing of a young couple living together before wedlock in an Asian immigrant community in England. It details the lives of first and second generation Pakistani immigrants to England and in doing so closely examines (often critically) the effects of religion (most often, but not always Islam) on peoples lives, especially their relationships with others and the plight of women. It also touches on the hostile and racist response of the native English to foreign immigrants, the stark cultural differences between first generation immigrants and their children and the growing divide between integrated and unintegrated immigrant communities. A greatly enjoyable novel, superbly written and always a pleasure to read. Highly recommended!

Dull (3/6 people found this helpful)

I didn't finish this book. Not many books can lose my attention so quickly, but it just didn't grab me at all. I think it was because it tried to explain the characters in too much depth at the beginning, without leading the reader to the story.

Nadeem Aslam

Editorial Review: