Reading a fictional work written by a historian has plenty of pros and plenty of cons as well. But when I saw that she has written her first fiction novel set around the Indo-Pak partition, I knew I had to give it a try. I had heard a lot about acclaimed writer-historian Aanchal Malhotra’s ‘ Remnants of a Separation: A History of the Partition through Material Memory’ and have been meaning to read it since ages. The story spans multiple countries and almost eight decades. Destiny takes them away from each other, and only time can tell if they will meet again. Caught in the religious and political melee are the two young lovers. But once the new borders become known, the battle lines between old friends are drawn. At first, no one knows where Lahore will end up as it has a Hindu-majority population. About a decade later, Samir and Firdaus are hoping for a beautiful future together when there’s devastating news: the British are finally leaving India, but the country is to be divided into India and Pakistan. When ten-year-old trainee perfumer Samir Vig met eight-year-old trainee calligrapher Firdaus Khan in Lahore in 1938, there was an instant connection between them. Expected more focus on the partition, but this remains character-oriented than country-oriented.
In a Nutshell: An epic romantic drama spanning decades, focussing on two characters whose lives were upended by the 1947 partition of India & Pakistan. Filled with exquisite descriptions of perfume and calligraphy, spanning continents and generations, Aanchal Malhotra’s debut novel is a feast for the senses and the heart. Lush, sensuous, and deeply romantic, The Book of Everlasting Things is the story of two lovers and two nations, split apart by forces beyond their control, yet bound by love and memory. As their paths spiral away from each other, they must each decide how much of the past they are willing to let go, and what it will cost them.
Severed from one another, Samir and Firdaus make a series of fateful decisions that will change the course of their lives forever. Suddenly, they find themselves on opposite sides: Samir, a Hindu, becomes Indian and Firdaus, a Muslim, becomes Pakistani, their love now forbidden. But as the struggle for Indian independence gathers force, their beloved city is ravaged by Partition.
Over the years that follow, the perfumer’s apprentice and calligrapher’s apprentice fall in love with their ancient crafts and with each other, dreaming of the life they will one day share.
On a January morning in 1938, Samir Vij first locks eyes with Firdaus Khan through the rows of perfume bottles in his family’s ittar shop in Lahore.
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