6 Questions With Lara Zuberi, author of The Lost Pearl

Hello Readers,

I am slowly getting my blog up and running again. I am not yet able to post any new reviews, so you guys probably won't see one until tentatively May. I am studying for board exams, and things are hectic. However, I will be posting interviews in the meantime, so please email me if you would like an interview! I am accepting interviews even if I have not yet reviewed your book.

I recently interviewed Lara Zuberi, a fellow doctor and author of a wonderful book, The Lost Pearl. You can read my review of her book here.

1. Tell me about yourself and how you first became interested in writing? 

I had wanted to become a writer for as long as I can remember, probably when I was five years old. As I grew up, I changed direction, and went into medicine, which, as you very well know, is a wonderful, yet all-consuming career. Once I completed my fellowship in Hematology/Oncology, I hit the pause button on the job-front in order to care for my infant son. When I took that break, I had a chance to revisit my childhood dream of writing a novel, and once I began this fulfilling journey, I just could not stop.

2. How do you find the time to write while dealing with the demands of a career in medicine? 

Creating balance is one of life's greatest challenges. Balance between home and work, balance between passion and profession. Being wife, mother,daughter, physician, writer, and being good at all of them all at once is hard--impossible perhaps--but I think one has to create the balance in such a way that one role is not competing with the other, but rather complimenting it. The thread that links medicine to writing is empathy I think, and though most people think of medicine as a science, it really is more of an art. I love medicine and teaching as a profession, and writing as my passion--but I write for leisure. I think the moment it became a job, it would lose its charm. If I have a thought in my head, I usually try to write it down before it has a chance to escape-often in the middle of the night.

3. What was the inspiration behind your book, The Lost Pearl?

I started writing The Lost Pearl with a very vague plot in mind. I wanted to write something which was a bit more than just a love story, something which painted a picture of the underrepresented middle class of Pakistan, with emphasis on human relationships and a moral lesson hidden within.

4. Is there any particular book or writer that inspired you, either while growing up, or as an adult?

Several writers have inspired me. I have to name Khaled Hosseini among contemporary writers because when I read The Kite Runner, I loved it, and when I learned that the author was a physician, I realized that these two professions were not, in fact, mutually exclusive.

5. What advice do you have for aspiring writers? 

# 1.Never forget what you wanted to be when you were five years old--because that was the purest and most original of all your dreams.

#2 don't write to sell books, it will reveal itself--write to fulfill your heart's desire to write--that too will reveal itself. Your first draft is the most important, but it's usually very flawed. Recognize that, and be prepared to spend plenty of time on proofing, editing, polishing, rewriting. Don't be in a rush to finish or publish.

#3. Be open to criticism. It will make you a better writer.

#4 There are few tragedies greater than an unwritten book--so if there is a writer inside you, pick up your pen--isn't it better to be part of a miracle than a tragedy?

6. What's next for you? 

I am pleased to share that Ilqa publications is publishing The Lost Pearl in Pakistan. I am currently half way through the first draft of my second novel, Torn Pages, which I hope to complete before 2015. I am back to being a full-time physician though, so the progress is slow, but steady. It is a novel within a novel and the 'torn pages' are both literal and symbolic. Will share a small excerpt, "He had spent years running away from the memories of their time together, while she had spent the same running towards them, catching the moments, so she could hold them in the palm of her hand. They remained forever in each other's eyes--he as the sparkle in hers, and she as the sand in his."

You can buy Lara's book here. 

Happy Reading!

-- chaitime212

Important: hiatus until further notice

Hey Everyone,

I am going to have to put the blog on hold for a while. Work has been super hectic and I can't get through the books on my list to review. In the mean time, all I can offer is interviews and posts to showcase your books. I'm looking to re-start the blog some time in the spring, and will keep everyone updated! Please contact me if you would like an interview at chaitime212@gmail.com

-- chai time 212

Book Review: The Lost Pearl

Hello Everyone,

I just finished The Lost Pearl by Lara Zuberi, which I really enjoyed! It is a wonderful story about a young Pakistani girl, Sana, whose happy childhood is abruptly brought to an end by a horrible tragedy. The story follows her as she grows into a young woman. She and her family are forever changed by the event, and the author does a wonderful job of showing how Sana struggles to deal her anger and grief, and eventually finds happiness again.

The descriptions of Sana's childhood, and her experiences in Pakistan and in the U.S. are beautifully written, from the descriptions of the foods and sights of Pakistan, to the emotions she struggles with in the aftermath of the tragedy. The love that the author has for her country is very apparent in her descriptions. Additionally, I was very happy to note that the main character (as well as some of the other characters) were very well developed. Sana appealed to me because she had many shades of gray. Her reactions to the events in the book were sometimes unreasonable, and I could clearly see how much she had matured over the course of the book. I really connected with her. I do wish that Sana's friends, Jennifer and Kavita, as well the character of Ahmer were more fleshed out. I feel that Ahmer was made out to be a bit of a "white knight"/Prince Charming, and it would have been nice if he had a few faults. I was still rooting for the relationship, but would have loved it even more if he had had more shades of gray as well. I did enjoy reading about how the duo bonded over their love of Urdu poetry. As a hopeless romantic with a liking for Urdu poetry (which I wish I understood!), these scenes put a smile on my face.

In technical terms, I felt that the story was evenly paced and well edited. I also did not find the story to be predictable, and the big secret that Ahmer revealed towards the end of the story surprised me a great deal. I thought that this was very well done. My only complaint is that after his (and Sana's) revelations were dealt with, the rest of the story wrapped up quickly, and the epilogue was a little anticlimactic.

In sum, I very much enjoyed this story, and read it in one sitting. It was well-written, and unique, and I quickly connected with the characters. I look forward to reading more books by this author, and would love to read another story about Sana and Ahmer, or one of the supporting characters, like Kavita or one of Sana's siblings.

My Review: 5 stars

Happy Reading!
-- chaitime212

Book Review: Loosely Translated by Simon Wheeler

Hello Everyone!

I just finished Loosely Translated by Simon Wheeler. This lighthearted romantic comedy focuses on Maria, an aspiring writer from Spain and Mike, the British author of a once popular mystery series starring an arrogant and chauvinistic detective. Mike has lost his motivation to continue his series. Meanwhile, Maria, frustrated with her inability to get anything published, decides to try translating books into Spanish. Her editor offers her a job translating Mike's books into Spanish. Maria scoffs at the writing style and detests the main character. She subsequently takes some liberties when translating, and the Spanish version becomes very successful. Mike is then invited to Spain for the book launch, where he meets Maria, and sparks fly...

I absolutely loved this book! It was well-written, well-paced, and an all-around charming story! I immediately identified with Maria. She was a well-developed and intelligent character who stood up for herself. I was prepared to hate Mike right off the bat, but was pleasantly surprised by his character. He was definitely not the shallow and arrogant guy I initially thought him to be. As Maria and Mike spent time together, exploring Spain, I found myself rooting for the couple. The conversations they had and the romantic places they visited were very well written. As I eagerly turned each page, I found myself wishing I was in Spain.

I do wish, however, that some of the supporting characters could have been better developed, particularly Carmen and Maria's parents. I felt that Carmen was a little stereotypical, and that Mike's interactions with Maria's parents could have been expanded upon. I did enjoy Mike's scenes with Maria's father, however, and found them to be quite humorous. Other characters such as Lola, Cesar, and James fell a little "flat."

The conclusion with its multiple epilogues, worked nicely for me. I enjoyed finding out what happened to not only Maria and Mike, but also to the rest of the characters. It would have also been interesting to have one additional epilogue at the end, re-visiting Mike and Maria at a later point in time to bring everything full circle. All in all, this was a really good read, and I would love to read more books by this author, about these characters and others!

My Rating: 5 stars