Written by: Aiman Javed
Posted on: August 31, 2018 | 
| 中文
(L) Shazaf Fatima Haider, (R) A Firefly in the Dark
With her second book, Shazaf Fatima Haider gives us another engaging bildungsroman, just like her debut novel, How It Happened. However, by skillfully weaving together the real and the magical, Haider ensures that A Firefly in the Dark is distinctively different.
A Firefly in the Dark, published by Speaking Tiger, India, traces the story of Sharmeen, who has been living with her Nani (maternal grandmother), ever since her father suffered a terrible car accident. Her mother, Aliya, is going through severe depression, and in her absence, Nani’s stories about supernatural beings fascinate Sharmeen, until they come knocking into real life. Jinns (ghosts) abound, but muses and vampires are also reflected upon, swiftly enabling the reader to draw connections between local and foreign mythology. Considering that contemporary Pakistani literature has few such novels to offer, I dived into the book with great anticipation.
The strength of Haider’s narrative voices will immediately strike the reader. She writes children particularly well, as evident from How It Happened’s protagonist, Saleha. In A Firefly in the Dark, Sharmeen embodies both the vulnerability and the quiet resilience of a twelve year old. Besides spending time with two sick parents, Sharmeen also battles with the everyday difficulties of adjusting to a new school. Mature beyond her years, and helped by her guardian jinn, Jugnu (Firefly), she slowly comes to terms with her world over the course of the book. Meanwhile, Jugnu’s character is portrayed as equal parts witty and profound. “Men launch their slippers at me, sometimes they fire pistols – depending on whatever is at hand. ...,” he hilariously explains how people react when he introduces himself. At another point, he tells Sharmeen that she shouldn’t categorize people as just good and bad since, “all is not as it seems.” By creating quirky but complex characters to embody this concept, Haider proves that her story isn’t only meant for children. Nani, who is endearing due to her affection for Sharmeen, is also thoroughly unlikeable due to her condescending attitude towards Aziz, her adopted son/servant. Similarly, Aziz may come across as the antagonist at first, but eventually turns out to be far from it. His misguided attempts to protect his loved ones, while simultaneously fighting against years of injustice, prove that the best of intentions can be marred by our negativity.
Perhaps the only limitation of the novel is its short length, due to which it doesn’t thoroughly explore the relationship of Aziz and Nani. Even though we empathize with Aziz due to Nani’s bullying, Nani isn’t outright condemned. Considering the class and power differential between them, it should have been stressed that Nani’s behavior had turned a perfectly loving child into a miserable adult. The necessity of treating everyone with dignity, though touched upon, could have been further emphasized. Furthermore, the reader may feel a little lost at times, since the novel introduces you to several creatures, concepts and anecdotes, in a very short span of time. Readers, who are unfamiliar with local storytelling, may also take time to absorb everything. Since there is no lack of details in the universe Haider has created, she could do justice to it by turning it into a series. In fact, one almost expects that Jugnu and Sharmeen will be back again, taking the reader along on many more adventures.
It is high time that our children and teenagers complement their reading of Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl and J.K. Rowling, with fascinating stories about local myths. Not only will they recognize themselves in Sharmeen’s story, they will find themselves chuckling along while rooting for Sharmeen. Meanwhile, adults will be gripped by nostalgia for childhood tales, especially those with a penchant for horror and humor. Shazaf Fatima Haider’s novel is highly recommended as an imaginative, thought-provoking, and thoroughly original novel, grounded in the rich South Asian storytelling tradition.
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