The Heart Asks Pleasure First

How often do you read a book about which you want to talk a lot but are not able to find the right words to describe the way it made you feel because you are scared that your words won’t be able to do justice to the beauty of the book.THE HEART ASKS PLEASURE FIRST is not just a book for me but a world in which I lived in with Daya and Aaftab. While reading this book I was transported to a different world. This is one of its kind book that requires your patience and complete attention. If you are reading other books simultaneously with this book, then it would be injustice with this book. When you give it your full attention you’ll be able to fully absorb everything it offers.This book made me feel each and every feeling that exists in the world- I laughed, cried, felt loved, hurt, raged and what not. There were moments when I read some lines again and again to absorb it all in me. It left me speechless as well as thinking about a lot of things at a lot of places and I think when a book makes you think that is good. I can re-read this book n no. of times. I loved the way the author has written the book from the start to the end, not even at a single place I felt that it’s her debut book. She felt so experienced. She knew what she was supposed to do with the story to the reader and how. I’m surely going to look out for more of her work.I loved how amazingly and beautifully she has crafted not only Daya and Aaftab’s love story but Daya’s parents, Asha and Gyan’s too, Daya and Wasim’s relationship, Aaftab and Wasim’s brotherhood and Kamla’s relationship with Asha. The way each and every character is developed is amazing and shows the work the author has put into this book. All the characters had a story of their own too which was well told. The writing style is different yet engaging that you’ll want to save some lines to go back later and feel their warmth again and again. It made me long for more and more for each character. The ending of the book is something I didn’t think of to be honest I didn’t want this book to end. I was continuously longing for more and more of the stories of these characters. I wanted to get into the book and hug some of them and tell them that I could feel their pain. I’m so much in love with this book that I’m still drooling over it. I want to recommend this book to each and every one of you. Please, please, please do read it, it will give you the sukoon you didn’t even know you were in need of.

No religion,no faith or borders can hold you if you are in love.When two souls come together nothing can stop them."The Heart asks Pleasure First" is the story about two people Daya & Aaftab belonging to two different religions, two different countries & having totally contrarary thinking parents.Daya is the darling daughter of Asha & Gyan who are an epitome of loving,caring & progressive thinking parents and while Aaftab born in Pakistan is raised up in an atmosphere of fear & punishment. They both meet at Roach Park, Wales,in London where Daya goes to improve upon her dancing skills & Aaftab for his Law course.The chemistry,the attraction & synching thoughts brings them together & both fall in love.Before meeting Daya , Aaftab who is more practical & independant thinking allows Wasim(another Pakistani) to share his two bedroom house with him though he found him to be less educated and more inclined towards religion.It is his love for poetry & nature that makes Aaftab to let Wasim stay with him.In the course of the story we see a remarkable friendship developing among the trio.The incidents of 9/11,the attack on Indian parliament, the failing health of Gyan etc & the consequences, hardships that follows are also well placed with all the sequences intact for the reader.An example where Wasim stands his ground when asked by the followers of Imam to follow their path leaving his friend, Aaftab and where we see an unflinching support of him towards his friend at his own risk of being identified by police and the followers of Imam is note worthy & goes well with the reader as what it means to be a true friend.It also reflects Wasim's unshaken wisdom and following the path of true conscience.The use of words like 'Jigar','Khairiyat' are an added attraction in the book for the reader.The heartfelt reminder of constable Kamlesh kumari during Indian Parliament attack, the humor that crosses the mind while reading about the interview between Ayatollah Khomeini and Orianna Fellaci the 'Uptown girl'& Nina Simone's songs makes one (feel --- ing good) particularly for Asha where she picks up the record & goes down her memory lane with Gyan nostalogically about(Gyan's death) but soon where we find shedding her grief in the context is really touching.One thing that may intrigue the reader is where Aaftab disconnects the phone of Daya while in the company of Noor & the after effects of the story makes the reader somewhere a bit pale to read and in comparison though more real & less ideal the pair of Asha & Gyan looks more perfect, real & natural.Above all the book is an intresting read.

“She is a bowl of water and he is nothing but fallen flowers waiting to be gathered, thirsting.”.A beautifully crafted story between Daya, an Indian ballet dancer and Aftab, a Muslim lawyer in the city of Cardiff, Wales that skims through a chaotic year and religious backdrops where Daya wanting to be a part of Aftab’s veiled world, a world forbidden to her. Kashmir, articulately been referred to as a favourite shared ghazal between India and Pakistan. Such is the beauty of language used here. Been a while I read love stories, trust me this navigates through your heart and you cannot help but sigh the sigh of love and longing!!🖤“Now she wrapped up her dreams.Now she folded them into a paper plane.Now she aimed for the waste paper basket.”🖤The characters felt so palpable they seem to walk out of the book and follow me through my mundane hours. Wish we had more Aftabs in real world;)Seem to have invested thirteen years to present her parchment baby to the world. Such riveting and artfully worded language with an equally stunning cover!.This is a book dedicated to love. All kinds of it. LongingIs there a fuller word in all the world?Tell me, is there an emptier one?.PS. The bookmark has one of her impressive poetry.

Book arrived in awesome shape, very well packed - big thanks to the seller.The story itself, well its an absolutely magical tale, loved it and am very glad I took a leap of faith and ordered it! I definitely look forward to reading more from the author, very very talented lady :)