Noon

Pieces. I admit to being befuddled by Aatish Taseer’s novel, Noon. If the four sections of the book make sense as a whole, I didn’t get it. Each on its own seemed finely written and interesting, but my reaction when I finished the whole novel was: “huh?” The character holding together the four pieces is Rehan Tabassum. In the first chapter, he recalls the departure of his father from India to Pakistan. The second involves Rehan’s relationship with his stepfather, a wealthy industrialist. The third chapter involves the reaction to a theft and the place of servants in Indian society. The final section is set in Pakistan. Throughout the book, Taseer presents episodes that highlight the contrasts in society. When I finished all the pieces, instead of a whole, I felt left with a recollection of anecdotes and pieces of a whole that left me blank and somewhat confused about what I had read. On the premise that others might see something here that I missed, I offer a mild recommendation for the novel, and suggest sampling an excerpt first. Rating: Two-star (Mildly Recommended) Click here to purchase Noon from amazon.com.