rom the moment I laid my eyes on the cover of The Heart Asks Pleasure First, I was drawn to it. The beautiful blend of blue and ochre colours and the intricate artwork featuring Urdu text caught my attention and urged me to read the book.

Written by Karuna Ezara Parikh, the story revolves around two star-crossed immigrants in Wales, a Hindu Indian and a Muslim Pakistani. The author’s writing style is characterised by a steady pace, enriched by intricate descriptions and thoughtful characterisation. The narrative flows effortlessly, making it a pleasant and engaging read that easily holds the reader’s attention.

Although a love story at its core, the novel tackles a multitude of issues and characters, resulting in a lack of focus. Its ambition to also tackle themes like communalism, racism, Islamophobia, religious extremism, misogyny, family conflicts, language and 9/11 results in an overshadowing of the central story and characters. It’s difficult to pinpoint where the narrative loses its grip, but it is clear that the book tries to do too much. As a result, the message becomes muddled and the execution mediocre. Despite this, the potential for a great novel is evident. One can expect Parikh’s future works to be more refined and have a more consistent focus.

Parikh’s tendency to interrupt the narrative flow with backstories is also noticeable. During a dramatic scene between the central characters, she suddenly delves into the childhood history of the protagonist’s roommate. This diversion from the main plot can distract and disrupt the reader’s engagement with the story.

There’s a scene in the novel where Daya’s liberal parents host a dinner party. While the scene serves the purpose of Asha explaining Islamophobia in India, it feels like it’s been included just for that purpose. The writing is not bad, and the intention is commendable. However, the elements should be introduced subtly to maintain the flow of the story. In the end, all the characters sound preachy.

The book has several redeeming qualities, such as a peaceful setting, a poetic writing style, a cross-religion love story, an engaging atmosphere and significant historical and personal relationships.

Parikh’s inclination to impose political messages and literary thoughts is evident throughout the novel. By the end of the story, the heavy symbolism carried by the characters’ names, such as Gyan and Asha and their daughter Daya, starts sounding contrived and forced. It’s important for authors to allow readers to draw their own conclusions and interpretations rather than dictate those.

The author indulges in a lot of filmy melodrama on the periphery without adding real substance. Dialogues like “I have your keys.” and “Oh, Daya. You have my heart.” may sound sweet but lack depth. It’s like having a jar of strawberry jam without a croissant, bread or cheese to go with it. If you happen to dislike strawberry jam, then God help you.

Another area where the author’s writing falls short is the abundance of poetic language, particularly when Daya indulges in a vivid daydream about consuming “Aaftaab’s brain.” It’s almost as if Parikh believes that romantic prose requires the inclusion of cannibalistic imagery.

Another issue with the book is that the Muslim characters are mostly; their lives and decisions are defined almost solely by their religion. Some of the other characters in the book, however, have individual ambitions, opinions and unique traits. This lack of depth in portraying Muslim characters can feel limiting and reductive.

Although this is Parikh’s debut novel, her potential as a writer is evident. Despite its flaws, the book has several redeeming qualities, such as a peaceful setting, a poetic writing style, a cross-religion love story, an engaging atmosphere and significant historical and personal relationships. Unfortunately, the book falls short in certain areas. I am eager to read more of Parikh’s work and see how she evolves as a writer.

The Heart Asks Pleasure First

Author: Karuna Ezara Parikh

Publisher: Picador India, 2022

Pages: 368

The reviewer is a freelance journalist based in Karachi. She can be reached at sara.amj@hotmail.co.uk