Tiny Glimmers of Light
A man pushed toward a terrorist organization comes into his own in the musing novel Tiny Glimmers of Light.
Aqueel Athar and Tanya Athar-Jogee’s novel Tiny Glimmers of Light weaves religion and culture into its story of a dangerous extremist group in contemporary Pakistan.
In the middle of the night, a man bursts into Goha’s home to speak with his father, Bala. The man offers Goha an opportunity to work with a mysterious organization in northern Pakistan. If he accepts, his parents will move from squalor to immense comfort.
After Goha agrees and leaves the familiarity of home for the north, he is forced to navigate the challenges of the extremist organization. He faces disturbing external experiences and internal questioning. He has to decide between providing for his family and following his moral code.
Goha begins the novel as a quiet and reserved person, not even able to stand up for himself after he is sexually assaulted by his roommate. But as his story progresses, he grows: He falls in love with a divorced woman, Kajal, and begins a relationship even though his mother disapproves. Indeed, Goha tells his mother to accept his relationship, lest he leave and never speak to his family again. His maturation is steady, reflecting the gradual changes to his personal philosophy. Profound and disturbing situations alter his psyche, moving him from naïveté toward strength and resilience.
Urdu mixes with English in the rich prose, which is immersive when it comes to conveying Pakistani culture. People’s conversations flit between the languages, too, all while keeping their emotions at the fore. However, the story itself is rather anticlimactic. For example, the true purpose and motives of the organization Goha joins are not revealed until late in the novel. At first, the mysteries surrounding it are exciting, but as Goha enters new relationships and contends with his personal changes, suspense about his role in the organization diminishes. Further, the ease with which Goha is able to make his own decisions about his ongoing relationship with the terrorist organization strains credulity; while it was introduced as both violent and ominous, every time Goha faces a potential threat from it, it’s neutralized with speed and without sufficient explanation.
The lines between right and wrong are blurred in the sympathetic novel Tiny Glimmers of Light, in which a young man navigates questions related to religion and love while immersed in an extremist group.
Reviewed by
Jennifer Maveety
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