Irrespective of your knowledge of Mira Sethi (such as the fact that she is a Pakistani actor with strong credentials, growing with each performance and belongs to the illustrious Sethi family which includes modern music master Ali Sethi) her debut novel, Are You Enjoying? has the literary power to stand on its own two feet. That Mira Sethi has written it is an added bonus because Writer-actors, entertainment’s current superstars - can influence people and households faster than wise scholars.

“I know murder, conviction, burners, boosters/Burglars, ballers, dead, redemption/Scholars, fathers dead with kids and I wish I was fed forgiveness” - ‘DNA’ by Kendrick Lamar

Mira Sethi has penned characters that vary in more ways than one but what is attractive and makes this book something you do want to finish are the lives and times of each character. To give them all away would be unfair to this promising author.

However, we can indulge in some stories that feel as authentic as the morning sun. One example is of Javed, a broadcast journalist whose fragile and complicated relationship with Marianne Almond, “an economic officer at the American embassy” draws us in and then just makes us reach for the book every chance we get. Their relationship steadily inhabits a space that is akin to Schrodinger’s cat: both intimate and distant. Set against the capital city, what happens to jilted lovers is an unexpected and elating beginning…

Call this book a snapshot of Pakistan as it stands today under the guise of fictional characters. Drawn from a level of certainty that doesn’t dwindle, writes Mira: “The TV screen was split into three: a male anchor with coal black hair to the left, Maulana Amin of the Islamic Board in the middle, a female anchor to the right.” Just these lines alone depict what is fodder for the people draped in the name of Pakistani broadcast journalism, shackled by the powers that be. Notice that issues are primarily being decided upon by men like watching an evening broadcast.

A little further the conversation between the aforementioned is as sharp as it is insightful, “Public opinion shows that most Pakistanis miss kites” to which one of the figures discussing the subject says: “I will give Fatwa.” This is what a normal news broadcast is like in Pakistan and it reminds you and/or informs you where the power truly lies and has been heading for some time.

Even as events unfold (that you should discover on your own via the book) Javed and Marianne keep us glued because of their sheer story that is told in a touching manner. “It hinted at a subtle intimacy, one that asked no questions but took liberties with its love.”

What happens to their story is a punch in the gut but it’s also ambivalent in one sense and paradoxically enough expected. The scars it leaves behind show how profoundly the relationship between two unlikely figures had been created – with delicacy, humour and a deeper love.

“I’d rather die than to listen to you/My DNA not for imitation/Your DNA an abomination/ This how it is when you’re in the Matrix/ Dodgin’ bullets, reapin’ what you sow”- ‘DNA’ by Kendrick Lamar

Mira Sethi explores several subjects in this book that goes beyond jilted lovers though. At the heart of the book lies Pakistani society that is becoming increasingly devoid of hope and crutching along as a South Asian democracy with its many perplexities. What also hits hard is her exploration of dreams of people. It includes potential actors coming face-to-face with the casting couch in order to find some space in the entertainment business.

It is here that we meet Mehak who dreams of winning “Best Actress at the Jeet TV Awards” and who convinces her desi, typical mother in the following words: “I’ll marry whomever you want me to marry” in an effort to get out of the conversation and pursue a career in acting.

Once again, mirroring reality that is often a staple in Pakistani dramas, she speaks to a director, expressing her humble, naive desire to work with him, who nonchalantly tells her: “So sweet of you. And the feeling is totally mutual. I wanted someone sweet, even a little bit shy. The story is little violent. Nothing serious. Just a few slaps.”

Slaps sell in Pakistan. Just ask any seasoned TV producer. But it’s all in the writing that keeps us going forward. The deteriorating Pakistani society across class in candour, clever and detailed description is what makes Are You Enjoying? truly enjoyable.

The book doesn’t preach and annoys with what should be. It does leave you wondering what this land means to the people who inhabit it and why the stories we read in the papers and the growing digital sphere are real. Have we become desensitive, completely indifferent or trapped in a blackhole of depression.

With many other equally arresting characters, Are You Enjoying? is a good addition to the world of South Asian contemporary literature. For a debut, this one is smoking hot as it mirrors our disturbing surroundings without losing humour, ironically enough. In the end, what Are You Enjoying? makes obvious is that Mira Sethi is a delightful talent and her entrance into the world of contemporary fictional writing is an enviable welcome and a thoughtful start.