The Writing on My Forehead by Nafisa Haji
Release date: 2009 / 306 pages
Synopsis (from back cover): A free-spirited and rebellious Muslim-American of Indo-Pakistani descent, willful, intelligent Saira Qader rejected the constricting notions of family, duty, obligation, and fate, choosing instead to become a journalist, making the world her home. But when tragedy strikes, throwing Saira’s life into turmoil, the woman who circled the globe to uncover the details of other lives must confront the truths of her own.
First line: “I close my eyes and imagine the touch of my mother’s hand on my forehead, smoothing away the residue of childhood nightmares.”
Review: This novel can — and probably should — be approached on at least two different levels. On one level, this novel is a series of fascinating vignettes unified by a young woman’s search for identity among the familial currents of strong personalities, cultural identities (Indian, Pakistani, and American), and religious proscriptions. On another level, this work is a metacognitive study in genre.
As a testament to the authenticity of Saira’s voice, I kept thinking I would enjoy the novel even more if it were truly a memoir (until the end, when the protagonist experiences a tragedy I wouldn’t wish upon anyone else). This desire came from how strongly the stories resonated — even though the details of Saira’s life were completely unrelated to any personal experience of my own.
At times the structure and organization of the narrative felt a little loose — not quite disjointed, but I wanted a few areas filled in a bit more, and I think the genre of memoir allows the writer a freer-rein regarding which stories and details are included. After all, we have the right — and responsibility — to tell our own stories as we see fit. But novels can bring a certain expectation of chronological cohesion that wasn’t always fulfilled.
On the other hand, the concept of “genre” has always fascinated me, and this work was a perfect fit for my past genre-related musings! Note the following sentences on this topic:
“Creative nonfiction is particularly repulsive — blurring the line between fact and fiction in a world already unable to distinguish one from the other.” (222)
“That is what fiction is — truth obscured, less susceptible to manipulation because it is hidden.” (229)
“You are a leech, Miss Saira. You have stolen the stories of your family and made them yours… Yet you have done it in a way that seems to honor them, with such sympathy that I can almost forgive your literary hubris.” (234)
Genre is a topic that also interests the narrator and was formative in her search for identity as a woman as well as professionally. Haji is a wonderful story-teller, and this novel felt like a hybrid — or maybe a transition — from her previous genre of choice (short stories) into the realm of creative nonfiction and ultimately into fiction. I would be interested in learning which stories were inspired by her past and which were purely fictional. I imagine many of the stories about her aunts were based largely in truth, but I could be mistaken. Overall, I recommend this novel wholeheartedly and believe most readers would enjoy it.
If you are interested in winning a copy, simply leave me a comment and I’ll choose a lucky winner by Saturday! Like to hear more about this novel?
Curious about what others thought?
Here’s the full list of TLC tour stops!
Monday, March 1st: Literary Feline
Monday, March 8th: Savvy Verse & Wit and guest post
Wednesday, March 10th: Bibliophile by the Sea
Thursday, March 11th: My Books. My Life.
Monday, March 15th: Lit and Life
Wednesday, March 17th: BookNAround
Tuesday, March 23rd: Book Dilettante
Wednesday, March 24th: A Sea of Books
Thursday, March 25th: Luxury Reading
Monday, March 29th: Lost in Books
Wednesday, March 31st: Book Club Classics!
I’d love the opportunity to win this!
Me! Me! Pick Me!
Thanks,
Renee
I’d like to be included in the giveaway. I always enjoy learning about other cultures.
I didn’t mind the story skipping as much; it felt to me more like Haji was skipping over places where the mundane details of life would be happening. I’m definitely looking forward to more novels from Haji!
I’m so much a “journey” over “destination” reader, Lisa, that I can’t help but miss what missing
I wonder if Haji is so used to the compression of short stories that the length of a novel felt unwieldy at times — hard to know what to include / leave out? Just a thought…
I would love to read a memoir by Haji, though!
I’d love to win this book. It is great to read and learn about other cultures through fiction–sounds like a great story!
This sounds like a great book! I’d love the chance to win a copy!!
I love wondering what parts of a book an author took from their own life (or that of a family member), and which parts they made up. I also just read a book where I really felt strongly that each chapter was a short story of sorts. I can’t name what gave me that feeling, but I’ll be interested to see if my other book club members agree. All this genre talk makes me want to read THE WRITING ON MY FOREHEAD to see if I would agree with your assessment!
Thanks for being on the tour! You always provide such fascinating insights!
Thank you, Trish! Truly my pleasure!!
I’ve seen so many positive reviews for this one, I’d love to read it! Thanks.