Voices from the Valley

Sumayyah Qureshi

Set in conflict-ravaged Kashmir, this book brings in a distinct style of writing. It does not go by the usual standards of storytelling but the author takes his characters in and out of stories. The chapters are not connected by a common story but by characters and their common suffering that comes with living in a region hit by turmoil. 

The stories take you on a tour of barbaric killings, torture and disappearances in the land of the stifled. These are chilling accounts of men and women living in a place ‘where the war was slow, subtle and camouflaged...’ 

If you are a Kashmiri, you will understand how the stories move and will empathise with the characters. The author takes you along as he embarks on a journey with his characters. Though a work of fiction, you will identify places he talks about and the powers that be.   

He builds a lot of tension in his stories, giving readers an opportunity to know the machinations of the antagonists and the helplessness that is writ large on those who have been forced into subservience. The antagonists move with a cold, cunning streak and kill without remorse. The book is, in a way, fictionalisation of life in Kashmir. 

Major S, Inspector Masoodi and Force 10, the sadist villains in the stories, unleash brute force and move with an air of authority as if they own the land they live in, and rule. The three are answerable to none and do as they please. They are the epitome of terror. 

His stories exude life and his characters are easily identifiable as they are drawn from common people who are at the receiving end. The stories draw their inspiration from incidents witnessed by Kashmir, not uncommon to its residents.

Though it takes time to set the tempo for the reader, it is intense, well structured and certainly a gripping read from a debutant author.