The blind man’s garden is an ensemble coalesced together which shows what war, terrorism and the fear of God can turn humanity into. The book was written by Nadeem Aslam and first published in the year 2013.
Rohan who is the blind person in the book lives in a small town in Pakistan called Heer. He has a beautiful garden which has various varieties of trees. He was a headmaster in a school – Ardent Spirit but left the job after the death of his wife to pray for her soul. His son Jeo and daughter-in-law Naheed live with him. Soon after the 9/11 attacks, their lives change forever. Jeo leaves for Afghanistan to help those in need through the knowledge he gained in a medical school where he was studying to become a doctor. He is accompanied by his childhood friend, Rohan’s foster son and Naheed’s ex-lover, Mikal. Meanwhile, Ardent Spirit has a new owner Kyra who is planning a deadly attack on a Christian school in the area. Under his instructions, Mikal and Joey were taken up by Talibani men before they reached Afghanistan, instead of being of help to others the two men were left tangled in the deep web of the war. As a result, every life that was a part of them or came their way fell into the same trap that destiny had put out in front of them.
Nadeem has used poetry as a beautiful tool in this book. Nature, tragedies, misery, helplessness, death, God, they have all been expressed with sheer elegance. Various quotes and texts from Koran and other books have been used to make valid points in the book. Full marks to the writer for his writing style and research.
Nadeem was born in Pakistan in 1966 but he later moved to England. Prior to The Blind Man’s Garden, he wrote three more books – Season of the Rainbirds (1993), Maps for Lost Lovers (2004) and the Wasted Vigil (2008).
The blind man’s garden will grab your attention right from the beginning. It will make you think about the war stricken countries. It will make you sad to know how much destruction the fear of the almighty has caused in these countries.
Pick this book for its beautiful writing and story line. It won’t leave you disappointed. In fact, it will help you understand the world a little better.
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