Book Preview - Blasphemy - The Trial of Danesh Masih by Osman Haneef

The brilliant cover in blue entices, the title sears, as do the words of Aatish Taseer: 

"Forces us to confront the supreme evil that lies at the heart of Pakistan's blasphemy law." 

Given the above premise, one would expect Readomania's latest offering, 'Blasphemy - The Trial of Danesh Masih' by Pakistani author, Osman Haneef, to be a difficult read!

However, 'Blasphemy' is just the opposite, its author a master craftsman! 

I bought the eBook, this morning, and had every mind of racing through it so that I could do a decent preview of it. However, the author had a different idea. From the moment I picked up the book to read, I was drawn in, mesmerised by the felicity of his language and the power of his narration.

I have had to drag myself away from the book in order to write this preview, and I look forward to going back in to savour the rest of the story, as soon as I am done.
Blurb:
A Christian boy in Pakistan is accused of blasphemy - a crime punishable by death.
Haunted by a tragic past, a young lawyer named Sikander Ghaznavi returns to Pakistan after many years abroad, and takes on the defence of the boy.
He reaches out to the sharpest human rights lawyer he knows - the woman he has loved for years, but now another man's wife.
As they deal with their unresolved feelings, the lawyers confront a corrupt system, a town turned against them, and a prophecy that predicts their death.
Will they save the boy?Or will the city of Quetta, its prejudice inflamed by religious extremists, consume them and deliver them to a deadly fate?
What Readomania says:
Readomania announces the release of Blasphemy - The Trial of Danesh Masih written by Osman Haneef. The e-version is now available and will be followed by the paperback version, which we hope to release in the next few months as we gain clarity about the coronavirus pandemic. The book explores the insidious and morally corrosive power of Pakistan's blasphemy laws, and the courage of the individuals who challenge it. The book has received several endorsements from celebrated writers, who acknowledge the importance of ts narrative in the current socio-political milieu of religious intolerance that is sweeping across the region.

‘A courageous and forthright survey of Pakistan’s blasphemy law. The narrative should also persuade Pakistan’s intelligentsia to ponder what they have made their state, especially its legal system, and society into.’

– IA Rehman, Director–Human Rights Commission of Pakistan

‘Love, the law, religion and violence―this book’s got the lot. And it’s a cracking read too.’

– Owen Bennett-Jones, former BBC correspondent

‘You have to remind yourself that Osman’s novel and the characters he conjures are fictional because they are convincingly real, so much so, that their words stay with you long after you have put down the book.’

                              – Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Oscar-winning filmmaker

The author of Blasphemy..., Osman Haneef is as multifaceted as the book itself. He was born in Pakistan and, as the child of a diplomat, grew up in different cities in Asia, Australia, Europe, and the Middle East. He studied creative writing at Yale, Stanford, Colby, Curtis Brown Creative, and the Faber Academy. He won the Frank Allen Bullock Prize for creative writing at the University of Oxford. In a parallel universe, he has worked as a tech entrepreneur, a TV actor, a strategy consultant, and a diplomatic adviser. He was also selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2017. He lives with his family between the UK and Pakistan.

The Kindle edition is already out and hopefully, the paperback will also be available soon. Do pick up the book for it is a keepsake!