I’ve always associated Moni Mohsin as a “light” author, someone like Candace Bushnell. Maybe it’s because she’s most known for her Butterfly novels. In The End of Innocence, she tries to strike a more serious note.
About the Book
Western Pakistan, the winter of 1971, and 9 year old Laila has a secret. Ignored by the adults around her yet desperate to know their world, Laila takes comfort in being the confidant of teenager Rani – privy to details of the older girl’s forbidden love affair. But when that affair bears unwelcome fruit, a floundering Rani leans on Laila for solace and support. Yet Laila – still a child – neither comprehends the danger nor is able to help; and thus unwittingly leads Rani towards catastrophe .
My Review
I wanted to love this book, really I did. It’s wonderfully set up, I loved visiting 1970s Pakistan through this book, and through the eyes of its protagonist – Laila.
Laila is a child and her understanding of the events that take place around her is wonderfully innocent. In some ways, the style of this book reminded me of To Kill a Mockingbird, in other ways it was like Atonement.
As you can see by my comparisons, this book is quite ambitious in scope. However, Mohsin doesn’t get it quite right. The character development, narrative, and plot is clunky, and the book grinds slowly to its ending.
That being said, I liked the setting, the secondary characters, and this insight into the caste systems, feudal legacies and the gilded cage of the wealthy in Pakistan.
Too bad, the main story didn’t work well enough. A tale of a honor killing could have been so much more powerful. Overall, this was a good effort, but didn’t quite hit the mark.
