Product Description

It is 1971: while a savage civil war rages in East Pakistan, a thousand miles away in West Pakistan, in the safe, cosy village of Sabzbagh, life appears to continue undisturbed. An ancient preoccupation with family honour and social propriety dominates the lives of peasants and landed gentry alike. It is here at her family estate in Sabzbagh, that naive, privileged nine-year-old Laila is spending her winter vacation. Laila's world is peopled by adults - progressive parents, a protective ayah, and an imperious, old-fashioned grandmother. Adored and indulged though she is, Laila feels excluded from this enigmatic grown-up world. Much like the young heroes of her favourite Enid Blyton adventures, she yearns for a slice of the action, and with a best friend by her side. This friend is Rani - the spirited teenage granddaughter of a family servant. Rani, however, is hurtling into a forbidden love affair, and when she becomes pregnant, she has no one to turn to but Laila. Eager but artless, Laila plunges headlong into helping Rani. As she flounders in an adult world she does not understand, Laila unwittingly unleashes a catastrophe. This is the story of a guileless relationship between two girls; and as the larger political reality unfolds tragically in the background, so politics is played with Rani. "The End of Innocence" is a coming-of-age story not just of two children, but of a country and an ideology.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #461885 in Books
• Published on: 2006-06-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 368 pages

Synopsis
It is 1971: while a savage civil war rages in East Pakistan, a thousand miles away in West Pakistan, in the safe, cosy village of Sabzbagh, life appears to continue undisturbed. An ancient preoccupation with family honour and social propriety dominates the lives of peasants and landed gentry alike. It is here at her family estate in Sabzbagh, that naive, privileged nine-year-old Laila is spending her winter vacation. Laila's world is peopled by adults - progressive parents, a protective ayah, and an imperious, old-fashioned grandmother. Adored and indulged though she is, Laila feels excluded from this enigmatic grown-up world. Much like the young heroes of her favourite Enid Blyton adventures, she yearns for a slice of the action, and with a best friend by her side. This friend is Rani - the spirited teenage granddaughter of a family servant. Rani, however, is hurtling into a forbidden love affair, and when she becomes pregnant, she has no one to turn to but Laila. Eager but artless, Laila plunges headlong into helping Rani. As she flounders in an adult world she does not understand, Laila unwittingly unleashes a catastrophe.

This is the story of a guileless relationship between two girls; and as the larger political reality unfolds tragically in the background, so politics is played with Rani. "The End of Innocence" is a coming-of-age story not just of two children, but of a country and an ideology.

From the Back Cover
`Mohsin uses words like a palette to paint a vivid picture of
the country she grew up in...this is a beautifully written work which
promises to be a real success.' Big Issue

`An enjoyable polyphony of characters ... an assured, emotionally engaging
novel' Literary Review

`Eager, warm-hearted and bright ... moving and compulsively readable' Irish
Examiner

`Accomplished and moving ... deals not only with the aftermath of a
dangerous love, but with its effects on an entire community' Independent

`Mohsin cleverly dissects the complex anatomy of this gossipy, tightknit
community' Guardian

About the Author
Moni Mohsin was born and raised in Pakistan. She lives in London with her husband and two children

Customer Reviews

Wonderful
I thought the book was very interesting especially for me coming from the sub continent but on the other side of the fence to speak - it gave you a wonderful insight of life in pakistan at time of war. I enjoyed reading the book and couldn't put it down. Very thoughtful though thru the eyes of an 8 year old - her privileged background - the relationship with the servants, the vividness of the book - you could imagine the canal, the nuns. Moni has done a wonderful job in potraying life in the 70's in pakistan.

Not the best...
This book is seen through the eyes of a nine year old who is spending her holiday in a sleepy Pakistani village whilst civil war is rife miles and miles away in East Pakistan.
I found myself skim reading much of this book to get to the main meat of the story, this is not something I often do therefore I think I must have found it quite tedious. Perhaps I couldn't fully appreciate the fact that so much of it was seen through the eyes of a young child therefore much of the narrative seemed innocent to the consequences of what was about to occur. Therefore I found myself predicting much of it before the narrative itself got to those conclusions.
It does however give a great snapshot into Pakistani life and culture but I didn't think it focused enough on the war which was constantly mentioned but without going into enough detail. What is most interesting is the story of the servant girl and her demise. This is gripping and haunting but it is a pity the rest of the book brings it down.

End of Innocence
The End of Innocence is a captivating coming-of-age tale set in 1970s Pakistan, where worlds collide and things fall apart.

The story unfolds with Rani, a young and beautiful servant, who innocently seeks romance and adventure in a culture bound by honour and tradition. But tension mounts as the complexities of real life overtake Rani and her eager and privileged sidekick Laila, both floundering in unfamiliar territory.

Peopled by characters so sharply drawn that you recoil from Sister Clementine's breath, feel the crispness of Tariq's starched shirt and sink into the pillowy folds of Sardar Begum's belly, this book is delightfully rich and funny.

But at the same time, and with elegant ease, Moni Mohsin shows how the darker side of social conformity, politics and religion challenge even the powerful and liberal, with long term fallout.

A wonderful debut.