Book: Sarah: The Suppressed Anger of the Pakistani Obedient Daughter
Author: Ayesha Tariq
Publisher: Penguin Books
Pages: 80
Twenty minutes is all it takes to become familiar with the story of Sarah, a teenager fed up of her family taking her for granted. She has dreams that she'd like to pursue but submits to their every whim and demand in order to be the 'perfect daughter' they expect her to be. Until such time she can't suppress her rage any longer.
This could be my story. Or my neighbour's. Or your cousin's. Or that of women throughout the subcontinent who've been told time and again that they shouldn't wear jeans because it isn't "appropriate". But back to Sarah, who lives on the topmost floor of a Karachi high-rise, albeit in the smallest room. Through richly illustrated pages, we see Sarah go about her daily life, gathering steam with each passing day over being seen with a gair mard, random rishtays from a gossip-friendly aunt and being woken up in the middle of the night just to heat food for bhaiyya. Until such time that Sarah's head is ready to explode like a volcano. Only, it remains bottled up.
"Sarah is only 17. At this age, she is just beginning to understand (the attitudes and behaviour of those around her) and is pointing out her grievances... that she is not okay with what her ami says, and so on," says author-illustrator Ayesha Tariq. Explaining that respect for elders is ingrained in desi culture and that even disagreement is viewed as being disrespectful, which is why it was natural for Sarah to not have an outburst, the 27-year-old adds: "I didn't want it to be a happy ending. I wanted it to be real. And in reality, it becomes a vicious cycle till you become angry again. In a way, it is a form of people pleasing."
The graphic novel also touches upon grave issues, including patriarchal hypocrisy and child abuse. And just as Sarah shares the existence of her rage, she points out these unseemly subjects to the reader as part of her life. "I wanted the book to be relatable. I wanted the readers to know that I know these issues exist in their lives," says Tariq. Exploring these deeply embedded issues would have involved people getting uncomfortable, she adds. "Some people tend to completely close themselves about these. The book is meant for people to start talking... it's a first step. I'm not here to start a movement. But people have to be comfortable talking about things that they know exist and are unfair."
Satisfied that the character is finding resonance across the subcontinent, Tariq, creative head at Citizens Archive of Pakistan, isn't in any rush to plan more books about Sarah. "I don't even have a plan for tomorrow," she laughs, adding that the graphic novel is really an extension of her college thesis when she was a student of communication design at Karachi's Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture. "If it calls to me, then I'll do it."
