The Wish Maker

I should warn you right away, this book doesn't have a lot of suspense, you don't have to wait for what might happen in the end.The novel is about an upper middle class family in Lahore. It is similar to a lot of other novels coming out from Pakistan since 2000. The writer growing up in Pakistan, going to colleges in America, and to a lesser extent in Britain, coming back, and writing books in English.After the protagonist in this novel comes back from America, he narrates his life growing up, his parents' life, especially his mom's, and his grandparent's.There's quite a lot on the politics of the county, especially during the 80s and 90s. The author's focus is this upper call family and their sheltered environment. There's almost nothing on other people--their servants--their lives, their struggles. It's probably because other than the western audience, the vast majority of people in Pakistan who would read this book, will also belong to that small elite class.The flaw in this novel is that author doesn't deeply divulge into lives of characters, I felt the description of almost all the characters is at the superficial level. I didn't get to see why people did what they did, they just did it.

I tend to read a lot of books, both audio and on my Kindle. This sounded like an interesting read, but I was really disappointed. It felt more like an out of order series of short stories about the same family, with brief sections trying to tie them together. I couldn't decide if the author was going for a family saga, or a history of Pakistan. Neither one hit the mark. There wasn't enough detail about the political climate, and the more detailed aspects of the story were told in reverse so it was hard to keep characters and chronology straight. If I hadn't known anything about the history of the region I think I'd have been lost a few times when the story jumped around in time.And though the characters were the emphasis, none of the characters were developed in sufficient detail to understand their motivations or really get me involved in their lives. Dialog was superficial at best.The narration of the audio book was good, but lacked emotion.

I ordered the book from this company, said used and in good condition. They were exactly right, and it came when they said it would. I will definitely order from them again.

A good review draws you into a book, right? Well, when I heard that Khaled Hosseini recommended The Wish Maker, obviously I had to check it out. (If you don't know by now, Hosseini is one of my favorite writers. He could write a one word book and I'd love it.) In the end, he was very right to recommend it - if you liked any of his books, you'll enjoy this.The Wish Maker is a coming of age story set in Lahore, Pakistan during the 1990's. In the heart of the story, it follows Zaki Shirazi and his cousin Samar Api-watching them grow up and, through dreams, actions and wishing, become the people they are. It's a story of the city throughout the years - how it itself grows through democracy and a loss of military rule. The book shows the influence of outside cultures, Bollywood and TV. It's about family - three generations - and the struggles they go through.The story starts in present time, at Samar Api's wedding, yet quickly brings the reader back to the past, to watch the kids grow up. In Zaki's house, Daadi, the grandmother, is the defining voice. He lives with her, his mother, and Samar, the daughter of the grandmother's sister) who was left to be raised there by her parents (the story behind that unravels as the book gets deeper). Zaki's mother is an outspoken woman who fights for unified rights and, although dangerous at times, Zaki never objects. Other outside characters come in and out of the tale, cousins and aunts, but the bond between Samar by Zaki is the strongest element. The author, in a recent interview, states, in regards to the main characters, that "as they grow older their lives take them in different directions. That divergence between the story of a boy and the story of a girl who have different but similar journeys is at the heart of the book. "What was most interesting about this book was how powerful the female voice was. Although narrated by Zaki, the stories of his mother and grandmother are central elements. The female impact is very important in the story. (I really liked Daddi - her matriarch stance, although old fashioned at times, was incredibly well done.) The author knowingly created a female dominated story: "I wanted to write a story in which the perspective of a woman, certainly for a boy growing up in a male-dominated society, was revealed as an act of the imagination. And the act of imagining had to end in the granting of greater freedom, greater unknowability, to the woman subject."An important part of the book was the time period in Pakistan. It set the scene - politically and thematically; I always find it incredibly interesting to see what life is like elsewhere in present time outside of news reports. The time period there showed life just as democracy and optimism returned, regardless of nuclear awareness, and how it effected the main characters. Sethi states "These other changes are reflected in the lives of some of the other characters in the book. So it was a time of social and political change. And it did different things to different people."I enjoyed The Wish Maker. It was a beautifully written book that brings Pakistan to life - not the war torn one we hear about in the news - the one people live in day to day. I like how it revolved around the idea of family, of coming of age. (Admittedly, I did create a genealogy chart for this to keep track of each character) For a first novel, Sethi created a wonderful piece that was incredibly vivid.Admittedly, I did have small issues with this book. Although beautiful, it did get dull at points. The story derailed often and though some side stories were pertinent to the plot, others went nowhere. Some parts were a bit of a struggle to read, however I am glad I got through it.I mostly liked the title and what it represented. Sethi explains it by saying "The wish maker is someone who makes a wish but also someone who grants a wish, or enables it in some way. Zaki, our narrator, by allowing the people around him to lead their lives in their own ways, at their own odd paces, is ultimately granting them the right to make their own wishes come true."All in all, The Wish Maker is a beautiful book that illustrates modern day Pakistan by bringing out incredibly interesting characters.

Ali Seth's The Wish Maker is his debut novel and I so hope there will be others to follow as it is such an excellent read. The story revolves round Zaki, recently returned to Pakistan for his cousin Samar's wedding. The two grew up together and are best friends as well as cousins. Zaki takes the reader on a journey into his childhood and we share his journey to adulthood, meeting all the members of his extended family and the servants attached to the household. We come to know these people very well and to care about them. It is beautifully written; witty, sad, funny and a totally satisfying read which offers a real insight into life in Pakistan.Reviewed by Mary Smith, author of  No More MulberriesNo More Mulberries

This book is rather aimed for teenagers rather than for adults - most of the content seem to be monotonous.

I don't like he printing quality of this book so I just returned it..

Too many characters and a whole lot of rambling. This wasn't a good read for me at all.

the strong begins strongly but then becomes dull and repetitive. i was disappointed