Toronto-based author Nazneen Sheikh has written several novels as well as a memoir, and her latest book The Place of Shining Light reflects her experience and skill in equal measure. Ostensibly about a priceless statue of the Buddha that is being smuggled from Bamiyan in central Afghanistan to north Pakistan, the novel interweaves the disparate lives of three main characters who all have high stakes vested in the statue’s ultimate fate. The protagonist Adeel, a former military officer turned special operative, becomes mesmerised by the Buddha to the point where he absconds with it. This move causes no end of problems for Khalid, a wealthy Islamabad-based entrepreneur and antiquities dealer who has arranged for the statue to be smuggled into Pakistan so that he can sell it for a small fortune to a passionate art-collector, Ghalib. A pederast as well as art-collector, Ghalib worships things that are beautiful, regardless of whether his mode of adulation is perverted or illegal.

Exquisitely chiselled from white marble, the statue exerts an equally hypnotic influence over Norbu, a woman of Balti ethnicity whose ancestors were pagan. Adeel quite literally picks Norbu up from the side of the road while driving near Peshawar, and hence commences a love-story that comes across as enjoyable, though rather unlikely. But then perhaps the best love stories are inexplicable in essence. An exceptionally intelligent and hardened individual, Adeel finds that Norbu exerts as much of a spell over him as the statue does over her. She brings out hitherto unknown feelings of vulnerability and protectiveness in him. He makes a vow that he will care for her at all cost. Meanwhile Khalid is driven to distraction by the unexpected loss of the Buddha, less because of its monetary value than because its theft represents a loss of control that leaves him feeling psychologically impotent.

Nazneen Sheikh’s latest novel is about a Buddha statue that seems to carry a curse which brings death and misery to those who try to possess it

Potency of any nature is not initially a problem for Ghalib, however, who resides semi-reclusively in a village in Punjab so that he can satisfy his somewhat uncommon desires by bringing underprivileged minors into his home for the purpose of illicit sexual relations. Disturbing though this may be, Sheikh refrains from passing any narrative moral judgements on her characters, and indeed displays a measure of sympathy for their humanity if not for their actions. Adeel may indeed be a thief, Khalid a crook, and Ghalib a dirty old man, but Sheikh also underscores that Adeel is a caring lover, Khalid an affectionate husband, and Ghalib simply a man who, for all his power, falls prey to the inevitable hazards of ill-health and age.

Khalid makes the mistake of sending his wayward and spoiled son Hassan to Gilgit on a mission to retrieve the artefact. This turns out to be a genuinely foolish move since Khalid should have known that Hassan would be no match for the dangers rampant in north Pakistan. Given where most of the action takes place, naturally the Taliban, the ISI, and the military all get involved with the loss of the statue at varying stages of the plot. Needless to say this causes no end of trouble for all of them. It appears as if the Buddha, like legendary objects such as the famous Hope Diamond, carries a curse that brings death and misery to those affiliated with its theft.

“The Guth Jamai dated back to the Mughal period. During the ritual, a solid gold, jewelled ornament was used to cover the braid of a queen or royal princess. Ghalib shook his head; Khalid’s acquisitions never failed to amaze him. With the current price of gold, the piece must have cost a fortune. Besides Mughal gems were not readily found anymore. Some had wound up in museum collections; others had simply vanished. Ghalib admired Khalid’s romantic heart as well as his loyal adoration of his wife. An event of this nature would require some pageantry. It would be a chance to dress extravagantly. Ghalib knew exactly the outfit he would take along. The pristine air of Islamabad and the surrounding hills would be a good change, he thought. Khalid, a fellow nocturnal soul, was delightful company for Ghalib, and even his staff members loved visiting the estate in Barako; Khalid was a generous host. The invitation to Khalid’s extravaganza, combined with the acquisition of four new works of art, lifted Ghalib’s spirits considerably. He played a superb game of snooker at the club. Not even the memory of his missing teenager disrupted his concentration. He had taught Saqib to play, but the boy’s act of disloyalty had changed everything. Rather than dwell on it, Ghalib reduced his thoughts of the teenager to specks of dust and mentally brushed them away. The Sufi drummer had obviously offered something to Saqib that Ghalib had not, and thinking about it was a waste of time.” — Excerpt from the book

At least two major characters and several minor ones meet violent ends in the book while attempting to retrieve the statue. Somehow Adeel and Norbu manage to evade the negativity surrounding it by demonstrating a deep and genuine respect for the ancient culture, history and religion evinced by the Buddha. Describing the awe with which they contemplate the piece, Sheikh observes that “[Adeel] sank on the ground beside [Norbu] and together they looked at the sculpture. The feeling that he’d had in the cave in Bamiyan resurfaced. Somehow the ancient marble transformed itself into a living entity, one that pulled him into a new consciousness. For Adeel, the face of the statue represented a perfect universe.”

Sheikh is a remarkably good storyteller; her writing is blessedly free from snags and convoluted syntax and proceeds at a smooth pace that enables the plot to unfold in a measured manner. The narratives of the three main male characters prove easy to follow, and the links between their stories gain plausibility over the course of the book. Odd though it may seem, Adeel and Norbu’s relationship also acquires elements of sincerity as the novel progresses, and readers will find themselves empathising to some degree with their growing affection and camaraderie. Though Sheikh treads lightly when it comes to criticising militant Islamic influence in Pakistan, she makes no secret of the fact that the peace and spirituality of Buddhism acts as a mechanism of personal salvation for both Adeel and Norbu.

By contrast, Ghalib experiences no moments of redemption in the novel, and perhaps one should not really expect him to. Though he treats the objects of his desire with a disgusting emotional callousness, it is this very point that lends authenticity to his character’s development. Decadent to the core, he respects human beings only for their aesthetic merit, and his actions can be checked and partially arrested only by failing health as opposed to any ethical awakening or increase in personal morality. Though Khalid’s morality is bigger in scale and scope than Adeel’s, Sheikh puts him through a harrowing emotional experience that jolts him into realising that wealth can ultimately not protect the mighty from loss and destiny. In this manner, his character is suitably redeemed towards the end of the book.

One may safely add that The Place of Shining Light will hold and sustain the interest of most of its readers from the very beginning to the end. Although her knowledge of antiquities is not erudite, the author excels at depicting the strong hold they exert over avid collectors. It is a pity that the book’s well-constructed plot is marred by some inexcusable typos; however, the publisher is to be blamed for this more than Sheikh herself. While the novel can hardly be labelled high literature, its power to entertain and engross remains undeniable and it deserves a wide readership both in Pakistan as well as abroad.

The reviewer is assistant professor of social sciences and liberal arts at the Institute of Business Administration, Karachi.

The Place of Shining Light
(NOVEL)
By Nazneen Sheikh
Anansi Press, Canada
ISBN 978-1487000141
325pp.