Review: The Book of Gold Leaves

The Book of Gold Leaves

by Mirsa Waheed (Viking, R275)

The thing about novels written by people who come from distant places, like Waheed who was born and grew up in Kashmir, is that you get to learn about a new world, lifestyles, people and the way they live their lives under perhaps extraordinary circumstances.

The Kashmiri war is described as one of the forgotten wars and, with everything happening in the world, that’s no surprise. With new conflicts seemingly springing up all over the place, 500 children abducted from a north Nigerian town, or 80 people dead in an air crash, it’s hard to keep track. But Waheed reminds us of the terrible toll on people who live in places where their lives are almost completely uprooted.

This is the story of Faiz, a quiet and gentle young man who supports his large Sunni family in Srinagar by painting countless pencil boxes every day. These are sent to Canada, which seems to him a magical thing. He is a frustrated artist trained in naqashi (the ancient art of papier mâché) who keeps his dreams alive by painting a huge canvas that he considers real art. But when he steals time to work at what he considers his art, he is also stealing potential income from his dependant family.

Faiz is inspired by Roohi, an exquisite young Shia woman who he sees across the courtyard of a shrine and discovers that this is his true love. This is really where the story begins as the two future lovers start meeting away from the scornful eyes of their two families.

But the love story isn’t the only tale; it is also about the uprooting of a town, a family and a young boy’s determination to change things as he escapes his dream world and joins his country’s struggle. The dreaminess of his world gives way to the harshness of the realities of the region.

It’s not as if anyone really knows what is happening. Innocents get caught in the crossfire, and people are betrayed by those who don’t take responsibility for their own actions.

The writing sometimes works against the seriousness of the issues, but the thing about The Book of Gold Leaves is that it puts the world in a context where you simply shrug your shoulders as two families stand at a crossroads because they come from different religious backgrounds.

In the meantime, the enemy is running through town and hitting their mark much more effectively as they ignore the petty squabbles. With a little more unity around the world, perhaps the good forces would have a better chance against those who rise suddenly with a desire to take on the world.