Few novels in the English language
have provided more inspiration to
contemporary storytellers than Jane
Austen’s beloved Pride and Prejudice. It
certainly inspired Atlantan Soniah Kamal.
Her Unmarriageable, set in present-day
Pakistan, is a delightful, searching novel
with a postmodern and postcolonial
sensibility.
“It is a truth universally acknowledged,
that a single man
in possession of a good fortune
must be in want of a wife.” This
famous opening line of Jane Austen’s
classic, Pride and Prejudice,
gets an updated spin in Soniah
Kamal’s Unmarriageable (Ballantine
Books), a retelling of the
beloved novel in a contemporary
Pakistani setting.
Author Soniah Kamal.
(Photo: Indus Kamal Wasti)
As the novel opens, Alysba
Binat (sounds quite similar to
Elizabeth Bennett, doesn’t it?) is
trying her best to struggle against societal
norms which dictate that young girls should marry a
good catch as early as they can or risk being social outcasts.
Alys invites her high school charges to complete
the classic opening sentence of Austen’s novel, but the
decidedly mixed reactions to the exercise show that
Alys has her work cut out for her.
It’s not just school that is a struggle for the 33-year-old
Alys. At home, she is the oldest of five sisters (in yet
another nod to P and P), trying to avoid endless nagging
from Mom about marriage, while keeping the family
afloat on meager earnings from herself and her sister,
Jena. Dad, “Bark” Binat, is little more than moral support,
ducking into the garden to avoid the slightest hint
of confrontation between the women in the house.
Eons ago, the Binats were society royalty, but a
family feud has pushed them several rungs down the
ladder. In addition, rumors about less than stellar character
abound about Pinkie Binat, the mother of the five
Binat girls, which doesn’t help matters, either. Despite
such turns of fate—or perhaps because of them—the
matriarch is especially keen on getting her daughters
married to a “rich roti,” a meal ticket who can deliver
a better quality of life. When an invitation to a high-society
wedding presents itself, the Binats launch into
overdrive to snag a suitable man, any suitable man.
The stage is set for Alysba to meet her Mr. Darcy, or in
this case, a handsome suitor named Valentine Darsee.
Austenites (or even those who have not read Pride and Prejudice) will understand that the angry sparks that
initially fly between Alys and Val are nothing but mere
fodder for a more slow-burning romance.
Alys squarely bears the burden of challenging the
hypocrisy of traditional Cinderella-like stories, no matter
where they are set and how they play out. In the end,
the man is always the gold standard and the woman
must submit to him, she points out. All the while, Alys
also questions the role of empire: “Can any amount of
good ever merit the interference of empire? Do we never
speak English again? Not read the literature? Erasing
history is not the answer, so how does a country
put the lasting effects of empire in proper context?”
Alys asks. All good questions,
the answers for which might
be beyond the scope of a lighthearted
novel such as this one.
At times many of the characters,
especially the mother,
Pinkie, and the younger sisters,
Mari, Qitty, and Lady, are at risk
of becoming one-dimensional
caricatures, so razor-sharp is
their focus on finding a suitable
husband. Kamal rescues
them from falling over the edge with a
good dose of hilarity and plenty of good-natured,
Bollywood-style drama.
Through Alys, Kamal takes a stab at questioning
societal norms, but the institution of marriage itself
remains secure as it did in Austen’s time. Pride and
Prejudice fans will find much to love in Unmarriageable,
a faithful nod to the original. There is enough color
and spice in this new version, however, to make the
adaptation Kamal’s own.
Unmarriageable is a fun peek at high society in
Pakistan—into the social classes that divide us all and
the ways in which we manage to navigate such divides.
Add in a hefty dose of romance, plenty of delicious
food, over-the-top parties, and a fair number of
theatrical hijinks, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for
an engaging Valentine’s Day read.
Poornima Apte, a widely published freelance writer and
book reviewer, is based in the Boston area. Learn more at WordCumulus.com.