'' NO FUNERAL FOR NAZIA '' : BOOK REVIEW

EXORCISING DEMONS : ' No Funeral for Nazia '. By Taha Kehar. Taha Kehar's sophomore novel is a meticulously crafted story about a bizarre memorial service for a dead woman in which those attending come to terms with their repressed emotions.

The premise of the book is an engrossing one : Nazia Sami, a talented authoress who passes away in her forties, leaves behind a very specific request - her death is to be commemorated by means of a small party as opposed to a traditional funeral.

Nazia's sister Naureen honours her late sibling's last request to the letter. A number of people whom Nazia knew are invited to this unusual social event.

Aside from the hostess Naureen and her husband Asfand, those present include Nazia's estranged husband Saleem, her childhood friend Parveen [Pino], her daughter Sabeen [ who has been living with Pino], her publisher Durdana [ Dolly ] and Dolly's husband Farid.

The guests are informed that they will each receive a certain amount of money if they comply with Nazia's request that they each allow themselves to undergo a therapeutic session with the final member of a gathering, a hypnotist named Salman Narang.

Partly out of avarice and partly out of curiosity, everyone complies, Salman turns out to be a genuine professional, whom Nazia herself had visited several times at his clinic in Azizabad.

This comes as a surprise to many, since Nazia lived with Naureen and Asfand on the affluent side of  Clifton bridge [ Sunset Boulevard to be exact ], and was not inclined to move out of her comfort zone in order to visit poorer districts of Karachi.

Kehar deals effectively when it comes to delineating class differences and tensions; his portrayals of  Bu Jaan [ Naureen's long suffering housekeeper ] and her young niece Sorayya are handled with admirable sensitivity. 

Continuing to follow her sister's bizarre instructions Naureen makes Sorayya wear Nazia's wedding sari and even has her coiffed in a manner similar to how Nazia had styled her hair at her wedding to Saleem many years ago!

Hypnotised effectively by Narang, the semi-conscious Sorayya ends up being a type of '' Nazia-dummy'', whom Narang effectively uses in order to conclude his cathartic, and often disturbing sessions.

I realize that many readers will draw parallels between Nazia and Daphne du Maurier's sublimely crafted character of Rebecca.

Although both women are dead, their respective presences overshadow the texts that honour them.

The World Students Society thanks Nadya Chishti-Mujahid, an associate professor of social sciences and liberal arts at the Institute of Business Administration [IBA].

She has authored a collection of short stories, Timeless College Tales, and a play, The Political Chess King.