The Candle and the Flame
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The Candle and the Flame
Their final stop is Bijli Bazaar.
“This is my favorite place in Noor City,” Fatima Ghazala tells the Emir as they stand in front of one of the many entrances to the market. “Do you have a place similar to this in Tayneeb?”
“We do have markets, but nothing this chaotic.” He grins. “Is there a reason this place is so special to you?”
Fatima Ghazala leads him inside, breathing deep of the air that is scented with ittar and spices. As it is late in the afternoon the market isn’t too crowded. It will close its doors at eight in the evening. “For six months after the massacre, my sister and I lived in a shelter provided by the Emir at that time. We were too shattered to care for ourselves.” Fatima Ghazala shudders slightly, remembering. “But as time lessened the intensity of our losses, my sister decided we could no longer accept the charity of the Djinn. We didn’t have anywhere to go, so we took to the streets. It was okay. Noor had people again. It was no longer a graveyard.”
They start walking down an alley populated by spice vendors. Barrels of black, green and red chili powder, nutmeg, ginger powder, star anise, cardamom, turmeric, and many other spices vie for their attention. Fatima Ghazala feels like she is in heaven. “We spent our nights at several places: the masjid, synagogue, mandir, gurdwara, wherever we could be safe. But sometimes we would spend the night locked in here I would explore while my sister slept. I would peer into the stores and make up wild stories about the merchants and the merchandise they sell. I spent a lot of time running around this place, tiring myself so I could sleep even when I was hungry.” She smiles at the Emir. “The bazaar with its twists and turns became a place to call home.”
When they finally retrieve Zulfikar’s horse and return to Aftab Mahal, it is late in the evening. Fatima Gazhala is exhausted and wondering if she can make it to Southen Aftab without succumbing to the demands of sleep.
“Thank you,” the Emir says before they part.
“I should be the one thanking you,” Fatima Ghazala replies. “This was your way of distracting me from the incident with the Qareen, was it not?”
The Emir looks away but not before Fatima Ghazala sees his smile. She stands transfixed, her heart a bit wobbly. Then she shakes herself free and takes her leave of him.
Fatima Ghazala lives in Noor, a thriving city along the Silk Road, which has recently undergone an attack by the Shayateen Djinn which slaughtered the entire urban population. Only Fatima Ghazala, her sister and another woman survived. The Ifrit Djinn now protect the city, and peace has returned. While the Shayateen represent chaos and disharmony, the Ifrit are the side of logic and order. However, when one of the most important Ifrit dies, life changes greatly for Fatima Ghazala. She is drawn into both political and magical turmoil as she endeavours to help those who want to maintain the hard-won peace and harmony of Noor.
Fatima Ghazala is a young Muslim woman, a human who also contains Djinn fire. From her beginnings as a poor orphan after the Shayateen raid, she becomes a determined and assured woman who is not afraid to take a stand and who will withstand the consequences of the decisions she makes. She is tough, intelligent and unwavering against her enemies, and yet she also shows a softer side when she deals with friends and those who need her help. Throughout the novel, this main character grows in both real-life and magical ways. She heals and rebuilds herself many times over as she deals with the many losses which try to overwhelm and envelop her.
There is a large cast of secondary characters. In fact, the author has provided a Dramatis Personae at the beginning of the book in order to assist her readers in keeping track of the various people and their relationships. Many are politicians or army men or members of the Qirat royal family. Others are surrogate parents for Fatima Ghazala or good friends with whom she can relax and laugh. All of these characters add texture, intrigue, and interest to the plot.
The city of Noor acts as a character in itself. The author provides very detailed descriptions of the streets, buildings and bazaars. She also references various religions and cultures which are maintained within the city. Other details refer to the foods eaten and the clothing worn. This gives readers a rich sense of this fantasy city and the world within and around it. Azad has built an entire world for her readers to enjoy and explore.
One of the main themes of the novel is that of women’s rights, and strong female characters help to bring this theme to life. Within the midst of a strongly Islamic culture, the women show determination and leadership. Another focus is that of a multi-cultural city which works at fostering understanding. Different religions, ethnicities and even the magical Djinn are all shown as living and working in a world of mutual respect and caring. Certainly the political intrigue hints at those who would prefer war and self-aggrandizement, but, in the end, the plotters are discovered and destroyed for the good of the citizens.
This emphasis on a melting pot of cultures in the novel is particularly noticeable in the author’s vocabulary which includes Hindi, Arabic, Punjabi and Urdu words. Rather than distracting from the story, they add to the depth and richness of the book. In general, they are easily understood from the context, but the author has included a glossary at the end of the book in order to explain terms which would likely be foreign to her Canadian audience.
Young adult readers who enjoy fantasy and those who enjoy history will want to read this first novel by Nafiza Azad. She has created the world of Noor - with all of its sights, sounds and smells – inhabited by a colourful cast of characters who provide action, intrigue and romance. One of the characters in The Candle and the Flame asks Fatima Ghazala if she will be “the ink that writes my tale”. Fortunately for readers, Azad has taken on that challenge and succeeded brilliantly.
Ann Ketcheson, a retired high school teacher-librarian and classroom teacher of English and French, lives in Ottawa, Ontario.