Star-crossed lovers

Kanwalpreet

Sarmad and Mehar are soul mates by destiny but are hopelessly caught in a whirlpool that is not of their own making, a whirlpool where emotions are lost in a never-ending vortex of hatred and revenge. The reader can foresee the tragic end but continues to hope that the unfortunate turn of events could be halted, somehow. Sara Naveed has woven an interesting story of love and despair. The narration is equally unique where the protagonists become a mouthpiece and each expresses one’s story from one’s own perspective. This is the unique selling point of the book.

Sarmad and Mehar are childhood playmates. Like other children they, too, revel in each other’s company irrespective of their family’s disparities in wealth and status. While Sarmad hails from a poor family, Mehar is the daughter of an army officer. The latter’s duty calls for flushing out terrorists. Sarmad becomes an unfortunate victim of circumstances, not because of the folly of the armed forces but because of the betrayal by his own. Oblivious to this grim reality, he grows up amid terrorists who use him and many others like him to wreck havoc in society and in lives of the unsuspecting ones like Sarmad. But, fortunately, the softness never leaves Sarmad’s gentle personality.  He is wooed by many girls but his love for his childhood friend lies buried deep in his heart, unknown to his companions who train him to maim and kill. The girl’s identity is later revealed to the reader and it is none other than Mehar. The reader can only feel relieved at the coincidence.

Mehar has grown into a beautiful girl. Though she goes about living her life but she always feels something is missing. When talks of her marriage alliance with her cousin begin, she is more confused than exited about a new chapter in her life. To get some clarity, she requests her father to let her go on a college trip with her friends before her marriage. A simple trip leads to a sequence of events that takes her life in an entirely new direction. Her brush with near death, during the trip, brings back Sarmad into her life as her saviour. Life again places them in each other’s company which Mehar enjoys a lot. Sarmad keeps quiet about his dark secret, quietly savouring her child-like innocence, her zest for life and her ignorance for all that is grave. She lives her life to the full, living in the present and imagining her life with unknown stranger with whom she shares some unspoken bond, a bond that she is unable to define.

 The author builds up the suspense and manages to hold it till the end. Parallel to the story of Mehar and Sarmad, the author reflects on various aspects of terrorism. She delves into its futility and its ultimate end that is death. The angst of being an unwilling terrorist and not being able to come out of the vicious cycle is brought out through Sarmad. The plot, with its various twists and turns, takes the reader through a roller-coaster ride. The writing style is simple. This work of fiction seems like a real story in these terror-infested days. Sara Naveed succeeds in building an intricate plot full of suspense and holding the reader’s attention to the last.