ina Shah’s latest publication, The Monsoon War, is divided into four parts that immerse the reader deep into the world of dystopian feminist discourse. The novel starts with bleak imagery, exposing readers to an almost apocalyptic world. “In the public square of a small town in Dhofar, three days’ drive away from Green City, a black veil hangs from the end of a lamppost. It flaps in the wind, a flock of crows, the sail of a pirate ship, rippling in the sky as twilight retreats and the black thread night approaches.” (Prologue) Shah laments the loss of humanity, freedom and equality, along with the rapidly growing environmental degradation in the novel.

Bina Shah – Karachi-born, a writer of Anglophone fiction and a journalist – belongs to a landowning family in Sindh and spent her formative years in Charlottesville, Virginia. She received degrees from Wellesley College and Harvard University. In 2011, she was a fellow of the Iowa International Writing Programme. She is also the author of a children’s book and the story collection Blessings. In addition, she has written several Karachi novels: Where They Dream in Blue, 786 Cybercafe, and Slum Child. An unusual history is explored in A Season of Martyrs as well. (Muneeza Shamsie) Shah was a regular contributor to the International New York Times from 2015 to 2018. She is a provocative and bold commentator for the international press on Pakistan’s society, culture and women’s rights.

Take a closer look at the following lines quoted right at the starting of the novel:

“Girls are coming out of the woods,

wrapped in cloaks and hoods,

carrying iron bars and candles

and a multitude of scars.” — Tishani Doshi

In a patriarchal world, the opening lines offer a strange sense of far-fetched fulfillment to the female. Imagine waking up one fine, sunny morning to find that gender roles have been reversed. Instead of ‘heroes’ saving the day, there are sheroes as saviours. Shah’s fictional account in The Monsoon War serves as a step towards liberating female bodies from the imprisonment of the male gaze and voyeuristic pleasure. The novel acts as a metaphorical space for the subversion of male-dominated discourse and the re-territorialisation of women into a site of power. “In a country bent on controlling women’s bodily autonomy and reproductive freedom, a resistance has formed. An armed group of women known as the Hamiyat have made a name for themselves protecting those too weak to fight back.”

Shah sets a tone of defiance against the traditional notion of marriage and childbearing as the pinnacle of a woman’s life, challenging these societal expectations. 

As the novel progresses, Shah skillfully highlights the resilience and resourcefulness of women, praising their tact and acknowledging their selflessness. The Monsoon War celebrates the craftsmanship of the female inhabitants of Dhofar, emphasising their strength and perseverance. Throughout the narrative, Shah alludes to Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and Gert Bertrand’s Egalias Daughters, drawing parallels to their exploration of gender dynamics and oppression.

The protagonist sheds light on the dire state of society, where fertility and motherhood have been reduced to mere transactions. In a world plagued by drought and famine – where agricultural fertility is virtually non-existent – women are still forced to produce a quantifiable number of offspring. At a time when the world’s natural resources are being choked, the Wife in the narrative is subjected to relentless reproductive expectations.

The novel delves into the concept of womanhood, portraying it as something mechanised and restrictive rather than something to be celebrated. Instead of embracing its beauty and complexity, womanhood in Shah’s narrative is confined by patriarchal demands, forcing women into the role of child-rearing machines, stripped of their individuality and agency.

Shah provides readers with a compelling exploration of the persistent otherisation of women, even in the 21st Century. Through her narrative, she creates a space for female agency and voice to be demonstrated and enacted. The fictional land of Dhofar undergoes a remarkable transformation, shifting from a dystopian to a utopian landscape, offering hope and empowerment.

The novel aligns with the sentiment of the socially conscious fiction of the 21st Century, much like Slum Child does for the 19th Century, as noted in Hybrid Tapestries. It continues to address one of the most pressing and recurrent issues of contemporary times—freedom and resilience.

The Monsoon War presents an exaggerated yet insightful portrayal of the defensive stance marginalised members of society are often forced to adopt. Shah sets a tone of defiance against the traditional notion of marriage and childbearing as the pinnacle of a woman’s life, challenging these societal expectations. The novel raises awareness about the self-abnegation ingrained in women and calls for its rejection.

Shah’s depiction of resilient women paves the way for stronger female characters in the future of South Asian literature, inspiring a new wave of representation and empowerment.

As Yasmina Khadra aptly puts it, “Men invented war; women invented resistance.”

A Monsoon War

Author: Bina Shah

Publisher: Liberty Publishing, 2024

Pages: 269

Price: Rs 1,695

The reviewer is a lecturer at the Department of English Language and Literature, Kinnaird College for Women, Lahore.