The Shadow Of The Crescent Moon

The Shadow of the Crescent Moon is the first novel by Fatima Bhutto, who is the granddaughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the former President and Prime Minister of Pakistan, whose sister was Benazir Bhutto. Fatima Bhutto graduated from Columbia University in 2004. She lives in Karachi, and is a freelance writer. Interestingly, her website does not mention this book. Instead, it mentions three other books. Judging by one article on her website, she seems to be a political radical.The Shadow of the Crescent Moon is an interesting novel, relatively brief and quite intense. It is set in the tribal region of northwest Pakistan and involves three brothers who are preparing to celebrate Eid, the Muslim feast at the end of Ramadan. The oldest son has decided to leave his childhood sweetheart and go into business away from his home town of Mir Ali. The middle son has become a doctor in Mir Ali and the youngest has joined his brother's sweetheart as an insurgent. In the novel, Mir Ali is the focal point for the armed struggle between Pakistan's army and local people who crave their own freedom.Fatima Bhutto does a very good job describing the culture, the issues, the people and the setting. One gets the sense of a long-running, life-and-death struggle in the northwest of Pakistan. It is clear that the author's sentiments are with the insurgents.I found the novel frustrating in the sense that it lacks focus. There is an insurgent plot to kill a minister, and the story seems to be headed to a climax there, but the novel ends in uncertainty. Was he killed? Who killed him? Or if not, why not? There is some uncertainty as to who the insurgents are. Some are Taliban; some are ordinary people. What is the relationship between them? The Pakistani government is clearly an evil influence, but in a book like this which is somewhat polemical, it would be a redeeming feature to hint more broadly at what the government should do differently (other than bringing in local conscripts). There are also some religious issues: notably Sunnis vs. Shiites, but there are problems for Christians and Hindus, as well. How do these issues fit into the over-arching themes of justice and freedom?Ms. Bhutto's writing in quite engaging. Occasionally, there is a too long sentence which requires a second reading to gain understanding. And, like all 'young, modern authors' she likes to use unconventional words rather than the conventional. Mostly, this works well, but there is the occasional grating which disturbs the flow. The characterisation of the two older brothers, the female sweetheart and the Pakistani colonel are all clear and intriguing. The character of the youngest brother - the insurgent - is somewhat opaque. We can understand why the two older brothers do what they do, but what - apart from his father's lectures - motivates this brother to be an insurgent?An interesting book and a particularly interesting author. I'm sure we'll hear more from her!

Reading this exquisitely and subtle novel set in the north-west tribal territory of Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan, whilst I am on a gender, human rights, humanitarian fact -finding mission in war-torn Rojava, I am constantly reminded of some powerful similarities. In both countries, Syria and Pakistan, civilians, men, women, children, bear the brutal brunt of sectarian violence, and are victims of fundamentalist extremists, at the same time victims of the wars between the West and the East. That is the US, with the UK as its servant, and Russia. The story here centres on the choices, challenges, influences that divide three brothers in a fictional town, Mir Ali, and the impact of the clash of loyalties, ambitions, desires, on the women in the family. Samarra and Mina are drawn into other directions, violent yet predictable, each, in different ways, forced to express their reactions to the killings, tortures, abductions, perpetrated by a diversity of actors, the army, the jihadists, the Taliban, the CIA. I have yet to finish it, but whenever I have a chance to read, in the unpredictable scenario I am now in Syria,I cannot bear to put it down. Fatima Bhutto has experienced much violence in he own immediate family, father and aunt assassinated, and she knows the political history of Pakistan so well. She has the lightest almost painterly touch describing the mountains, valleys, rivers, family scenes , and then the contrasting, bureaucratic, Islamabad, with its long queues of hopefuls outside the US Embassy, the shady Colonels, the sinister interrogating American officials. This is her first novel and it is brilliant. I think we will read many more from her. And she has important messages, obliquely communicated, about the roles of women, in their families and their communities when conflict erupts, powered by great powers safely using drones, and committed suicide bombers willing to die for their cause. I highly recommend this novel and long myself to meet Fatima Bhutto.

This is a deceptively subtle book. The narrative is steady and stoically relayed, yet it manages to pierce right through you. The story is the unfolding of a single day, or rather, a single morning. As the Eid morning of each of the three brothers unravels, Fatima Bhutto reveals their histories leading up to this present moment.The book is haunting and so very revealing. The plight of the people of Mir Ali burrows deep into the conscience as does the pain of knowing that although this is a work of fiction, it has a strong root in the reality of many people in the northern provinces of Pakistan.It is an excellent debut novel and I look forward to reading more from Fatima Bhutto.

The book started off ok and parts of it were really absorbing. The part where the driver feared he would be killed because of his Shia identify even though he wasn't overly religious highlighted the problem posed by the Taliban. The book ended with confusion and I am still unable to see what the purpose of the novel was.

I read with breathless anticipation of a terrible ending to this story of family's divided loyalties on the Pakistan/Afghanistan border. Beautifully written, in the hushed voices of the participants, but ultimately it was unsatisfying

I had heard about this book so thought I would give it a try. Having just finished it I am left unsure. I did enjoy it but I guess I was expecting more

A story set in troubled Mir Ali describes the actions of several individuals caught between fires of insurgency. They have to juggle combinations of issues they can and cannot control. The story evolves in a hotchpotch of insanity, rebellion and manipulation. It’s a wonderful and memorable book to read, beautifully written. I can’t remember anything like it.

a wonderful novel of people caught in the crossfire of life in Northern Pakistan. I look forward to more writing from this gifted writer who conveys life for the ordinary people trapped in that ghastly conflict