Beautiful is not a size

While the West is slowly growing sensitised to issues like fat shaming, it’s obvious that Pakistan has a lot of progress left to make. Amid a frenzy of weight control fads and diets, many women find themselves struggling every day to hit the gym and try out quick weight loss regimes as they jump from one diet bandwagon to another. Recently, Hina Shamsi came out with her debut book, ‘The Quintessential Fat Girl’, which touches on this issue. This book is a quick-witted satire for anyone who has struggled with weight-loss issues only to realise that the journey is filled with many failed diets and cravings.

The story of the book is as follows: Zoie has tried all possible diets, she is now turning 40 and the body she dreamt of is not happening. With an important wedding coming up in the family she has a few months at hand to get in perfect shape. In her journey to attain the perfect body, she realises many issues pertaining to body shaming, stereotyping and social pressures faced by women. Her own weight battle makes Zoie empathise with many around her who are silent sufferers and need a little support.

Shamsi holds a Masters degree in Business Administration from Southeastern University and has taught at various business schools in Karachi for almost a decade. She enjoys reading, travelling, cooking different cuisines and has much fervour for planting trees. She also has a passion for writing about social issues and blogs under infectiousenergy.blogspot.com.

In an exclusive interview with You! the author talks about her debut novella and her journey through it...

You! Why did you choose the title ‘The Quintessential Fat Girl’ for your debut book?

Hina Shamsi: ‘The Quintessential Fat Girl’ was the first thing that I typed on my laptop and it just clicked! Moreover, the fact that ‘fat’ is such a scary word; people don’t want to use it. In fact, when I showed the title to a few friends, they advised me to remove this word and keep the rest of the name. Honestly, fat is not a curse word and I don’t know why people are so uncomfortable with it. Hence, I decided to keep it. I thought it would catch the attention of my readers.

You! What inspired you to write this book?

HS: Many wonderful women around me who I have been observing for years and many social antagonists I have always found disturbing and wanted to raise my voice against them. I decided to pen my thoughts down. Surprisingly, as I kept writing, new ideas evolved and eventually it turned into a long story - a novella.

You! What is the basic idea of ‘The Quintessential Fat Girl’?

HS: Without giving away much of the story, I would like to say that TQFG is the story of every girl who feels she is not worthy enough. It revolves around the harsh reality of body shaming, stereotyping and social taboos that exhausts us, more so for women than men.

You! How long did it take to finish your TQFG?

HS: From the conception to publishing, around 11 months.

You! How have the readers received your work so far?

HS: To my surprise, very well, I was taken aback by the response I have gotten so far. The feedback is very encouraging and heart-warming. I chose to follow the rituals that are associated with publishing a book - from the book launch to having my e-book and paperback available on Amazon, to creating the hype on social media - and it has been an exciting journey. My page is showered with so much love everyday by my readers through boomerang videos, video reviews, shots of my book with their meals, it’s overwhelming. I am humbled and honoured.

You! Why do you write?

HS: I write because it’s pure catharsis for me. I love to write about social issues, mostly women centric, and fiction has a special place in my heart. The possibilities in fiction are so vast that the characters can be very twisted and interesting. I want to write more fiction in future but my characters will be closer to reality.

You! Have you ever faced writer’s block?

HS: Oh yes, many times, it’s very frustrating as a writer, but I guess it’s a part of our job. Our neurons give up and stop working, which is when I know I should take a break, do something totally unrelated and then get back after a while.

You! Do you agree that writing is a strong tool to change mindset?

HS: Yes, definitely. It can change one’s perception and open the mind to new ideas, depends on how strongly the idea is written and presented. What we read becomes a part of our thought process even if we don’t acknowledge it.

You! What is it like publishing a book in Pakistan?

HS: Publishing a book in Pakistan was a whole new ball game. Our publishing industry is in its toddler years, and we don’t have many publishing houses. We just have printing press that mostly deals with text books or non-fiction books. Also, we import paper and ink hence the cost of printing a good quality book is a lot due to the import taxes. Another reason that we still have a huge gap and not many local writers is because we read foreign books and foreign authors. In a country like Pakistan fiction has a small niche.

My publisher, Auraq, and I took it upon ourselves and tried our best to make the printing and cover of TQFG to match foreign standards. I wanted my readers see and feel the pages of the book like they are of international quality but with a very local story. A story of our city Karachi along with many relatable social antagonists penned with a generous helping of local humour.

Furthermore, I did excessive social media marketing of the book which not many local authors do.

You! What is the most important advice you can give to women?

HS: Please read TQFG... it has all the advice you need.

You! What is the most important relationship lesson you have learnt so far?
HS: Many relationships, especially friendships that I valued a lot, have fizzled into thin air with time. Over the years, I have learnt to believe that there will be only few sincere relations in your life rest are all fillers, spot sincerity and then hold on to those relations.

You! What is your favourite subject, something that is close to your heart?

HS: I don’t know if it’s a subject but I am an environmentalist. I love planting trees and I hate single- use plastic - reduce, reuse and recycle.

You! What are your 5 favourite books -and why?

HS: Oh that’s easy: ‘Pyar Ka Pehla Shehr’ by Mustansar Hussain Tararr; it’s a shy eastern romance which is gentle and soul touching, reinforces one’s belief in true love.

‘LACE’ by Shirley Conran; read it when I was a teenager my first exposure to romance, thriller, and infidelity.

‘The Architect’s Apprentice’ by Elif Shafak; a unique story and a strong narrative that takes the reader into another era. Also, I am a huge fan of the Ottoman history hence this book has a special place among my favourite books.

‘Saare Sukhan Hamare’ by Faiz Ahmed Faiz; his poetry is unmatchable every time I read a poem it’s as if I am reading it for the first time.

‘The Zahir’ by Paulo Coelho; it’s a story of a writer and this book helped me in my writing days that’s why it has a special place.

You! What are your favourite books to give as gifts?

HS: Other than my own, ‘The Alchemist’, ‘Goodnight stories for Rebel Girls’ and ‘Forty Rules of Love’.

You! What did you like to read when you were a little girl?

HS: I didn’t read many books as a child. Also, I am not a millennial and in our school days, reading was limited to the books we got from our small school library. So, it was mostly Nancy Drew and Jane Austin, but I started to enjoy reading when I was in my late teens. There are many books I have not read yet but want to.

You! What is a typical day like for you?

HS: My typical day starts very early when I get up for my morning prayers. Then the responsibilities of being a mom commence. I do a little bit of exercise to keep me going through the day. Finally, a strong cup of coffee and I sit down to work with my laptop trying my best to stay away from the phone so I don’t lose focus. It’s mostly work and family, trying my best to balance both.

You! When you’re not working, what are some of your favourite ways to relax and have fun?

HS: When I am not working I make myself a nice cup of coffee and read anything that I can get a hold of. Other than that, I like outdoors, some quiet time in the garden - looking at the birds and the trees.

You! Do you think that in twenty years, people will still like to read books in print or ebooks will dominate the era?

HS: A good read is a good read no matter how it is read. Nevertheless, due to the fast paced lifestyle of the millennials, ebooks will soon take over all traditional forms of reading. I also feel that soon novels will also become obsolete as the very busy millennial wants to read in points, audio books or visual books will soon be part of the new literary world.

You! Have you thought of writing in Urdu?

HS: Sigh! Yes, many times... I feel that I think in Urdu, hence it’s my moral imperative that I write in Urdu too. The only limitation I face is in terms of Urdu software which I find challenging, and writing with a pen doesn’t excite me either.

You! What’s next in your agenda?

HS: There is no set agenda. I take each day as it comes. Hopefully, more writing in the future that my readers can relate to.

You! What is your advice to aspiring writers?

HS: I will give the same advice I got from a senior writer - ‘Finish your first draft.’ An incomplete draft is good for nothing. Once you finish it, you as a writer are enabling yourself to improve your narrative and only then it can turn into a manuscript.