Under the Tamarind Tree
Nine-year-old Rozeena arrives in Karachi from Delhi with her family in 1947. They had barely escaped the angry mobs bent upon murdering and looting fleeing Muslim families. She grows up happily with her childhood friends, refugees Aalya and Zohair, and the son of a wealthy businessman, Haaris. Rozeena and Haaris are attracted to each other, and so are Aalya and Zohair. However, the families’ social status threatens to divide the friends.
By 1964, Rozeena struggles to build her medical practice, care for her widowed mother, and risks losing the family home. Rozeena’s uncle wishes to force her into an arranged marriage. Help comes to her with a price. Then one eventful night, someone dies that tears the friends’ lives apart. Later, in 2019, Rozeena receives a surprise telephone call from an old friend, asking her to care for his disturbed granddaughter. A remarkable friendship develops that unearths buried secrets that might ruin Rozeena’s life.
Nigar Alam’s debut novel has a biographical aura, which adds to the story’s appeal. However, the use of alternating time periods, from 1947 to 2019, doesn’t have the likely intended effect of adding mystery to the plot. Hence, readers may find the storyline somewhat tedious to follow. However, the novel is atmospheric and represents the multigenerational lives of those who emigrated to Pakistan from India (derogatorily called “refugees”). Using characters from different layers of the social structure brings out cultural differences that impact their relationships and conveys the women’s desire for individuality in their class-conscious society. Alam has used the Tamarind tree well as a metaphor for concealed happenings under its ample shade. The characters are well-developed, although using a female maali (gardener) is somewhat unusual for that society. The story will interest those unfamiliar with India’s 1947 Partition and the lives of Karachiites.
