This 1956 novel by Khushwant Singh is a tragic love story. Juggut Singh, a Sikh, is in love with Noorm, a Muslim, and they hope to marry. Their village is a mixture of Sikhs and Muslims, and portrayed as quiet and peaceful. Then the intellectual, Iqbal Singh, arrives. As the Partition of India and Pakistan begins he hopes to spread revolutionary ideas.
The Muslims are given the choice to leave while they can, or face mounting violence and persecution in the time ahead. Muslims in the region have been getting on trains and leaving, and Sikhs have been arriving from future Pakistan. However, when a trainful of dead Sikhs arrives, the question is, "will the Sikhs will take revenge on their Muslim neighbors?" Whether Noorm escapes to Pakistan rests in the hands of Juggut Singh, who loves her, and Iqbal Singh, who loves his ideology.
This is an excellent, well-written, short novel. The central romance is heart-wrenching and makes the violent and chaotic events of the Partition more understandable. Not being knowledgeable about the Partition of India this novel provides an overview of what happened. I highly recommend it.
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