This novella is one of two very different halves. The first 40 pages comprise children’s fables intertwined in an intriguing, magical and poetical manner, with a recognisable fairytale element. Then the prose, while still charming, becomes detached and impassive for an engaging love story about the enduring relationship between Pakistani intellectual Usman and English artist Lydia. Don’t worry, there is a link and it does become clear.
