#598 - Amil and the After
by Veera Hiranandani and illustrated by Prashant Miranda
“Amil and the After” by Veera Hiranandani and illustrated by Prashant Miranda. Published by Penguin. A heartening story of a pair of twins who are trying to make sense of the tumult around them in the aftermath of the partition of India.
The year 1948 has just begun. Twelve year old twins, Amil and Nisha, are now in Bombay trying to rebuild their lives in the newly independent country of India. They had to leave behind their home and life in the city of Mirpur Khas in Sindh which was now a part of Pakistan. In addition to them, their family consisted of their doctor father, daadi (paternal grandmother) and their househelp called Kazi. Their mother had died in childbirth and they miss having known/met her. Being both Muslim and Hindu, Amil is not sure of what a home means any longer. The haunting and painful memory of the long and arduous journey from his hometown to India lives with him.
Despite living in an apartment in Bombay with his family and getting to go to school, life still feels uncertain and lonely with no friends. At Nisha’s suggestion, he starts maintaining a sketchbook where he expresses whatever he feels in the form of drawings which he loves to do. It is also a medium for him to talk to his mother and tell her about his day. Read this insightful book to witness a resilient spirit of a young boy trying to find hope for not just himself but his family and the newly reborn nation as well.
This is one of those impactful and hard hitting books that will remain memorable for a long time. My almost eleven year old son and I found the book engrossing and couldn’t put it down. Despite the exams going on, we managed to read the book during breaks from studies. The conflicts in the minds of the characters, fear, uncertainty, confusion, vulnerability, worry, sadness, hope, resilience and courage are some of the underlying themes. It was heartening to see them trying to come to terms with their changed circumstances and making sense of what was happening around them. How Amil and Nisha try to rebuild their home in a new place far away from what they had known all their life was quite thought provoking. The partition of India is stated plainly as a fact in most textbooks, but stories like these reveal the devastating effects it had on the people near the borders as well as those who had to leave their homes and lives behind without a choice. Their pain, survival spirit, longing for the past and resilience come to light in stories like these. Given that the protagonists are children here, the story immediately strikes a chord in younger readers. Amil also cannot figure out what his father thinks and why he behaves the way he does. He longs for an outlet for his feelings and desires. And what better way than drawings which also give us a glimpse of not just his mind but the period too from his perspective. The charming illustrations have done complete justice to the narrative bringing it to life in front of our eyes. The book is a companion to another book called “The Night Diary” by the author which we haven’t read yet. That book is written from Nisha’s perspective and we look forward to reading it sometime.
Recommended Age
The book is apt for children aged 9 and above.
Disclaimer - We received this book from the publisher, Penguin India, for review. Thank you to Mansi, from Penguin, for sending across the book!