"Silence is Golden" is the tenth of her short stories upon which I have posted. I reserve such coverage for writers whose talent and insight I greatly value.
You may read "Silence is Golden" at the link below
https://themarkaz.org/silence-is-golden-a-short-story-by-farah-ahamed/
The Story focuses on Doctor Patel, assistant human resources director in a large corporation located in Lagore, Pakistan.
The story gets us off to a marvelous start:
"Monday morning and Dr. Fazal was ready for a productive week. Dr. Fazal, to be clear, did not have a PhD, nor was he a medical doctor, but his colleagues called him “Doctor” because he was full of “timeless philosophical wisdoms,” as he said himself. He’d made the suggestion at an HR meeting in jest when he realized he was always being consulted when there were serious problems to be solved, and the name had stuck. One time, many years ago, he had the feeling that his colleagues were making fun of him, but that was a forgotten memory. When he did remember, he told his wife, “Being wrong is just as powerful as being right. Sometimes even more so.” He’d been at Amber Investments for ten years working as the Deputy Human Resources of HR Manager. He was not in any doubt that a man of his talent and superior intellect was destined for higher places. His favorite saying was, “In six simple words, I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life. It starts and stops with me.”
Doctor Patel is given a big assessment, to represent his company at a conference in London. It seems Doctor Patel does not quite understand what his manager meant when she told him "Silence is Golden".
I do not wish to give away the plot. I really enjoyed the exchanges of e-mails between Doctor Patel and his wife.
Farah Ahamed's short stories and essays have been published in The White Review, Ploughshares, The Mechanics’ Institute Review, The Massachusetts Review amongst others. Her story “Hot Mango Chutney Sauce,” was shortlisted for the 2022 Commonwealth Prize. She is the editor of Period Matters: Menstruation Experiences in South Asia, Pan Macmillan India, 2022,. She is working on a novel, Days without Sun, a story about grief, friendship, and survival in the backstreets of Lahore. You can read more of her work here.
Farahahamed.com
1 comment:
I like letters in the context of a story like this, revealing little nuggets of characterisation that aren't as quickly visible without the invitation to share in a letter.
Post a Comment