Everybody Lies.
We all do it. On 14th August 1947, I learnt that everybody lies, but not all lies are equal...
Many years ago I told one lie that
has taken on life as its own.
the only time I was sure of anything
was all those years ago, when I was a boy.
When I was lying.
But now the truth need s to be told...
A Beautiful Lie is set in India, 1947 during the partition and birth of Pakistan. It follows the story of a young boy named Bilal and the lengths he goes to to protect his ailing father from the outside world. Bilal's father, who he affectionately calls Bapuji, is a very strong-minded person and Bilal knows that the political situation in India will almost tear his father apart. So he decides to lie instead. He enlists the help of his three friends, Chota, Saleem and Majeet, to help him keep up this lie. The biggest thing Bilal is worried about is that the many visitors that Bapuji gets will tell him the truth, so, while Bilal is in school Chota will keep a watch on his house and, if he saw anyone approaching it, he would give Bilal a warning. This system works well, but then the lies start getting bigger and the truth becomes blurred.
This is Irfan Master's debut novel and it is brilliant. Bilal and his friends act their age, but as the novel progresses and the political situation becomes deeper, they learn to grow up. Seeing everything through Billal's eyes gives the novel a both humorous and emotional spin. The character of Bapuji is so lovable and down to earth that you don't want anything to happen to him. As the book progressed, Bapuji became one of my favourite characters. In the place where they live, Anaar Gully, not many people get a proper education as the classrooms are often filled to the brim and Bapuji seems to be the centre of knowledge. He loves books and in their house they have "The Wall of Books." When Bapuji was well, Bilal used to take people around the house and tell them different stories. Bapuji taught Bilal how to read and, because of this, Bilal is one the smartest boys in his class. He is a loving father to his boys and he always wants to protect them. Bilal admires and respects his father and their relationship is so wonderful that you begin to see way Bilal lies and why he feels so guilty about it.
This is a heartwarming story that is filled with wit, compassion and loss.
A Beautiful Lie is great historical novel and I recommend to anyone who is looking for an interesting book to read. It isn't too complicated and I found it very easy to understand. It feels so real that won't be able to put it down.
