“‘I’ve dreamt about you. Only about you.’ He held his gaze then and studied my face. ‘I think you have the most beautiful almond-shaped eyes in all of Asia.’”
– Nemat Sadat
Specifics:
Book: The Carpet Weaver
Author: Nemat Sadat
Published: 25th June, 2019
Genre: Historical Fiction, bildungsroman
LGBTQIA literature: Yes
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Pages: 300
My rating: 4 /5
Blurb:
Afghanistan, 1977. Kanishka Nurzada, the son of a leading carpet seller, falls in love with his friend Maihan, with whom he shares his first kiss at the age of sixteen. Their romance must be kept secret in a nation where the death penalty is meted out to those deemed to be kuni, a derogatory term for gay men. And when war comes to Afghanistan, it brings even greater challenges-and danger-for the two lovers.
From the cultural melting pot of Kabul to the horrors of an internment camp in Pakistan, Kanishka’s arduous journey finally takes him to the USA in the desperate search for a place to call home-and the fervent hope of reuniting with his beloved Maihan. But destiny seems to have different plans in store for him.
Intimate and powerful, The Carpet Weaver is a sweeping tale of a young gay man’s struggle to come of age and find love in the face of brutal persecution.
Review:
A stunning historical fiction showing that the power of selfless love is beyond years of torute that include slavery, human trafficking, war and more.
It wasn’t just any other book with a gay rep. It was a book with a protagonist who was very much self aware and was willing to break all the walls inspite of the burdens of the expectations from his father and the society but ends up in a country with war where he has to chose survival of himself and his family above all else.
I always wonder why teenagers are said to be rebellious? Is it not because not everyone of them is equipped with dealing with the pressures of their families’ dreams and societies expectations?
The Carpet Weaver is a brilliantly written work about a boy in his teens who is constantly reminded to show off his Machismo and is bombarded with the hurdles of religion, politics and eventually war.
Set in Kabul, Afghanistan, the book is medium paced and takes a few chapters to get into. It is divided into three on the basis of a period of a few years beginning from 1977 and also on where the protagonist is currently stationed – Life in Kabul, Escape to Pakistan and Freedom in California.
There are a lot of aspects to the book as I’ve already mentioned but never did I ever feel like it was too much. It was too surreal for me to feel so. Nobody has the luxury to look at life one block at a time.
The book radiates finding happiness in the worst of times in abundance. The protagonist is put through years of torture but never did I see a loss of hope. Hope is something that was interspersed throughout the book alongside Love.
It was a very good read but the first two parts were so enticing that even though the last part was good, it didn’t speak to my emotions the way the first two did.
I was also not well versed with the blurb before entering into the story so I had no trigger warnings and that kind of put me off for a while but that is completely subjective.
For the unique premise and unconventional narrative, I rate the book 4/5 stars.
Spoiler alert
The major thing I want to talk about here is the ending. It’s unconventional but also the truth of life. Kanishka does not end up with who he thinks is his true love. He ends up living his life the way he always wanted to – as a proud homosexual.
The title is so apt. Kanishka has always wanted to walk in his father’s shoes by becoming a carpet weaver but his father outright gets disgusted. After his death and in the camp, they learn the skill of carpet weaving and also use their special talents to impress the officials. He ends up in a carpet store in America when he first reaches there.
Coming to the characters:
Kanishka Nurzada: The self aware teenager who’s always feeling like an inadequate son and also questioning the ways of the society in his own personal space is our main protagonist who has been through hell, literally. He had to live with asking to be more manly, struggling to decide whether to hide or reveal his sexuality, his country being captured, being enslaved, used as a sex-object and finally finding freedom only to struggle to talk to his mother about his preferences. He had a strong heart and he loved with all he got. He loved Maihan so much, even through the hell that he went through, he saw him as the destination. I loved how there wasn’t a happy meet in the end. It was great that he learned to love himself instead and chose to live his life to the fullest now that he’s been though so much.
Benafsha: The best sister in the world, Ben has always supported her brother even when she didn’t understand what he wanted. She clearly is very creative and sensible. She encourages Kanishka to tell the truth to their mother instead of leaving on false pretexts.
Maihan: I don’t know what to think of him. He kind of encourages Kanishka and uses words that make us feel like he’s madly in love with him but he also comes across as a fcukboi. He is bisexual and promises Kanishka that at the end of this, they’ll be together but he is so scared to come out of the closet that he ends up marrying a girl that his mother selects.
Rustam: Ruatam is bisexual and flashes at Kanishka on their first meet. I hated him for it. It’s soon found out that he has a family and he gave in to the pressures from his brothers and chose to support Pakistan. He’s stationed at the camp at which Kanishka and his family are enslaved. He helps bring medicine when Benafsha is sick. He leads in a mission where they make their escape into a UN camp.
Faiz: Faiz is a friend of Maihan and Kanishka and starts feeling left out when the first two start low-key dating. He’s the son of Zaki Jaan and it’s hard to keep up with his father’s expectations. In the process he also paves the way for the harassment that Kanishka and Maihaan face for being gay by leaking the information to some boys in his school. They were almost raped. He confesses to Kanishka and tries his best to help him find Maihan. He also lies to his father about his profession and makes money by stripping since he has the body for it. He has never let go of his dream of becoming an Actor!
Zaki Jaan: Zaki Jaan has the first line in the book. “The one thing I know is that Allah never forgets Sodomy”, in Kanishka’s birthday party. He somehow knew about him. How ever old school he was, he comes through and helps Kani’s family when they reach America. He also finds a girl and is about to get married. He’s proof that no matter what you were taught growing up or how old you are, you can open your eyes to the other ways of the world if you are willing to.
What I liked about it:
1. Highly Descriptive
2. Feels very real (something that I love in historical fictions)
3. Has strong characters with great developments
4. Eludes strong family values
5. Shows that Love is a very strong weapon to keep you determined and alive!
6. Shows that self love is bliss
7. Talks in depth about what teens go through with the burden of their parents, expectations.
What I did not fancy:
1. Takes a while to get into the story
2. TRIGGER warning for violence, bullying, war, graphic descriptions, outright hate, slavery and rape.
‘How many stars do you give me?’ ‘Five stars!’ Theatrically, I blew him five kisses.’
– Nemat Sadat
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