A City Without Devotion

by Umair Khan

Stories based on crime interest many readers. They highlight the socio-legal stalemate in the
society. As popular as it is, crime fiction is generally considered less important than literary fiction by the
critics because of a lack of nuanced characters in them. As a response to this age old criticism, we have
seen novelists come up with intricate plots driven by the interaction of complex characters in the
backdrop of criminal activity, thus lending a sort of literary credibility to the genre. "Shehr-e-Be-Mehar"
is one such novel that explores the impact of social evils on various people inhabiting that society. It
brings out the vicious circle of violence sustained by the transformation of the victims into perpetrators
of violence later in life.

Written by Hassan Javed, an accomplished journalist, the novel has all the familiar characters
that come up in news stories like police officers, social workers, politicians, criminals, terrorists, etc.
However, Javed has been quite successful in dramatizing the interplay among these characters. He has
tried to dig deep inside the psychological makeup of these characters. He has touched upon several
social evils in the society including some topics which are regarded as taboo by many of our writers. The
story line is kept intriguing by the introduction of new twists. Each character has its own strengths and
weaknesses. Some of them have a larger than life charisma and prove to be the main drivers of the
story. However, no character is painted in the binary opposition of good and bad. There can be a
surprising code of ethics followed by the criminals and there can be questionable compromises made by
the apparently noble characters.

Javed has structured the story in a number of chapters of short length. His commentary on
many social issues is subtle but there are certain dilemmas of our society which he has brought out
through detailed discussion among various characters. One such example is the problem of how to bring
social change. Can it be brought only through social work or do the political struggle is important for a
meaningful and thorough reform of the society? Should the social workers engage in the tactics of
power politics if they decide to reform the society through political process or should they remain
committed to their principals? As a good example of fiction writing, readers are allowed to form their
own opinion regarding these questions.

The title of the novel captures the essence of the story by depicting an urban society where
every character, in its own way, is searching for meaning in life and a sense of belongingness. Their
circumstances show them various paths; their life experiences guide their choices; and their actions,
consequently, impact other characters. The exploration of this phenomena also leads to some darker
aspects of our society where our base instincts, psychological pressures, and violence interact.

Interestingly, Javed has shown a penchant for writing a gripping story in his debut novel. His
canvas is a society that lacks rule of law; his colors are the characters produced by such a society; and
his strokes are the circumstances arising out of the interaction of these characters. Resultantly, we see a
painting that is rich in its composition and have multiple layers of meaning. In short, it is a good addition
to the contemporary Urdu fiction. I, for sure, look forward to reading more stories penned by Javed.

Source: https://www.dawn.com/news/1502791/a-city-without-belonging