Ehsanehsan Ehsanehsan

"A Case of Exploding Mangoes" is a fantastic book of dark satire by Mohammed Hanif, that explores the main events of the story by telling the mythic tale of the life and death of Pakistani General Zia-ul-Haq through his mastery of repointing anecdotes. General Zia's frenzied readings of the 'Holy Quran' cause consternation among his subordinates. Mohammad Hanif wraps up his not-so-fictional narrative leaving his readers confused as to who killed General Zia-ul-Haq. Hanif, who had been an air force cadet himself, wickedly depicts life at the 'Pakistan Air Force Academy' through the portrayal of Ali Shigri. Among several conspiracy stories about the crash, the most popular story concerns a few crates of mangoes that were loaded aboard the president’s aircraft at the city of Bahawalpur just before takeoff. In the haze of battle, particularly the one fought on your homeland, the antagonist frequently gets confused, compelling you to put up with unusual extents under distinctive factors. To cap up, the book shows rightly the eternal crises in which Pakistan’s unending dilemma is highlighted: 'the enemy within with a thousand faces.' (Komal Ehsan..)

"10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World", is an incredible book by Elif Shafak. The writer has brilliantly set up the character sketch of Leila and the story mainly revolves around the protagonist's life. For 10 minutes and 38 seconds, with each minute passing until her heart stops, she recalls the past events of her life by specific smells and tastes that bring back different memories at different stages of her life from birth to death, such as her birth time, school time, family vacations time, her brothel's life in Istanbul, finding love and loss and lastly her brutal murder. It is amazing and somehow weird to read about that how the dead body of Leila recollects all the memories of life after death. Each memory is associated with a taste or a smell that is inextricably linked to a changeover in her life. The pattern of this book is intellectually satisfying, divided into three portions.. mind, body, and soul. I believe each of the characters faces an existential crisis, through which they suffer their throughout the life. Shafaq describes how each of these characters gets to manage Istanbul, what they think Istanbul gives them, and what type of place Istanbul is. She presents how such degraded and misfit people are treated and socially criticized in society, and all this happens because of the lack of individuality and lack of choice. To cap up, Shafak fuses complicated details, juxtaposing the upheavals in Leila’s surroundings with the changes in Turkey’s social circumstances.  (Komal Ehsan..)