Written by: Nihal Farid
Posted on: February 07, 2025 | 
| 中文
The author, Muhammad Asif Nawaz, with the book. (Picture taken from The News)
"The Pilgrims" by Muhammad Asif Nawaz, published by Liberty Books, is a captivating novel that delves into the complexities of friendship, identity and belonging. The story revolves around four friends: Bina a strong-headed Sindhi doctor; Feroz, a feudal scion from Sukkur, Aariz, a poignant thinker and Mehar, a former child bride turned resilient woman from old Lahore. Each hails from distinct backgrounds, yet bound together by their shared experiences in Lahore. The diversity of these characters is evident in their ways of thinking, personality traits and approaches to life decisions.
Through Asif's masterful storytelling, we witness the friends navigate love, loss and self-discovery, all while confronting the societal norms and expectations that shape their lives. As one flips through more chapters, secrets about each of the characters’ life stories are spilled and scattered across the subsequent chapters, and one realizes why Aariz grapples with existential questions, what motivates Bina's ferocious activism, why Mehar is the way she is and why Feroze is trapped within the tentacles of his patriarchal lineage.
The author discussing the book at Atom Camp, Islamabad.
Apart from the fact that Asif's characters are multidimensional, with each one bringing their unique voice and story to the narrative, one thing that is noteworthy is the way each character is introduced. Extensive word building has been done with beautifully penned details. For example, when Mehar is introduced, the first line about thirteen gates of Lahore is later used as a symbol for one of the gates that closed for Mehar forever after escaping a life tragedy. When Feroze is introduced, his mansion and the ornate decoration of its interior is described in detail. The details are as heavy as the burden of the feudal legacy he is carrying. When Bina is introduced, small details about her medical profession are brought to light. When Aariz is introduced, things in the dust ridden corners of his apartment are unraveled like questions in the corners of his mind.
An excerpt from the review of The Pilgrims published in Daily Dawn.
One of the novel's greatest strengths is its thoughtful exploration of historical references which serve as hooks to background stories of some characters. These hooks have a life of their own, as these particular commentaries are often 2-3 pages long, placed cleverly at important points in the novel, but it also doesn’t seem to be taking the reader’s attention away from the plot. These historical bits require a slow reading, and I often dog-marked these pages to return to them later. The rest of the novel is a quick read.
The writing style is evocative and immersive. The way he narrates the story makes it easy to become fully invested in the lives of each character. Asif’s writing is a fresh and unique voice, different from the typical Pakistani fiction published in the past few years. Full of ample cross referencing between various themes from history, mythology, geography, culture, religions, philosophy and it is a treat for people having multi-disciplinary interests.
Muhammad Asif Nawaz
My favorite part of the novel is in Chapter fourteen where a piece of inner stream of consciousness belonging to Aariz’s mind signifies the depth and complexity of his thinking. He thinks about how the more he travels across the world, the more he realizes everything is “shrouded in an eternal camouflage.” The next few paragraphs are a beautiful interconnected web of references, mentioning Manghopir shrine, Kailasha, Shiva, Achilles, Adam, Persiphone, Ram, Mansoor Al-Hallaj and many others.
The Pilgrims, published by Liberty Books, is now available.
A quick look at the themes of novels published in recent years by Pakistani authors reveals that one common theme among them is diaspora life. One character goes abroad and becomes nostalgic about Pakistan, there is a nostalgic mention of mangoes and monsoons. The character returns to Pakistan as a guest, battling with a fragmented sense of belonging, which is relatable for Pakistani-foreign immigrants, particularly the upper middle class. But Asif’s characters are purely Pakistani, and deeply embedded within Pakistan. His novel is not class centric, which gives it potential to become a favourite for the people.
The Pilgrims
The way the life of cities informs the characters is also interesting. Many Pakistani writers have attempted to describe Lahore in their own unique ways, some have talked about its flyovers, others have talked about its old gates, some have talked about the contrast between its posh and poor localities, while others have talked about its ever-increasing hustle. Still, reading about the same city from a new writer’s pen never feels boring. Asif has also discussed about Lahore’s old city vibe, first from the eyes of Mehar and the rustic charm of once-elite Mall Road, from the eyes of Aariz. Sukkur’s multiple landmarks have been described in vivid detail, so much so that reading it made me feel like I was actually on the bus in which Mehar and Aariz are touring the city. Interestingly, Balochistan also has been referenced while mentioning the Hinglaj pilgrimage. The Blind dolphin of Indus, Bhullan, also makes an animated guest appearance in the childhood memory of two of the Sindhi characters. By the time the novel is finished, its title “The Pilgrims,” makes one wonder about the significance of the different pilgrimages the characters have undergone. Days after closing the book, one is also urged to think about one’s own pilgrimage and where the reader’s life plot will take him/her.
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