The Good Children - by Roopa Farooki

Searching in the library for a light read, the cover of this book caught my eye. I can happily say that on this occasion I am glad I judged a book by its cover. I will be buying a copy for my own shelves.

The Good Children follows four siblings and their lives, spanning three continents and seven decades. Set in Pakistan, England, and American, it deals with conflict: from the struggles of bi-culturalism and sexuality to doing what one should and doing what is right. This is the tale of what ares, what ifs, and what could have beens; touching deeply on the raw issues faced by "good children" even today.

Sully, Jakie, Mae, and Lana. All so different and all so relatable. Roopa Farooki has managed to make the characters so real that I was able to pick out their replicas in my own life.

From the outset I was hooked. Wanting to know where Sully's mind would go next. His indecisiveness and submissiveness kept me reading until the end. At times I wanted to shake him, other times I wanted to shout at him to WAKE UP. There were times when I wanted to hug and comfort him.

I laughed and I cried, I was exasperated and relieved. Farooki takes you through a rollercoaster of emotions, from the first word until the last. I could not predict what would happen next, what each character would do next, or what was in store for them. All the characters remained true to themselves and I felt as though I was a part of the group, watching the good children grow and mature into good adults.

Farooki has expertly illuminated and dealt with the issues that were so prevalent in the 1940s East and West, which are still around today. From Jakie's homosexuality to the siblings' struggles with growing up with an abusive and domineering parent. We see the effects it has on them individually and collectively, and how it moulds them as adults; how their experiences affect the way they behave with their own children and in their own lives. Four good children, four very different and separate paths.

I am unsure whether or not this is a bad thing, but the ending left me frustrated. Not by way of an anti-climax, but because Farooki so successfully weaves the story into your heart and mind that after reading the final sentence I felt that I was saying goodbye to my own family. I wanted to go back and spend more time with them, to know where their journey would take them and to be a part of it. I am still mourning.

I would recommend this read to those who enjoy a thought provoking, page-turning read which will stay with you for a long time. The themes will always remain relevant. Love, expectation, culture, identity, honour, obedience, and betrayal.

One of the best books I have read in a long time.

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Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Publisher: Tinder Press

Date of publication: 19th June 2014

Pages: 416

My rating: 5 out of 5

#fiction #contemporaryfiction #bookreview #pakistan