Daily Times

Wild Boar in the Cane Field is an incredibly tender depiction of people who are, more often than not, relegated to the periphery of society.

The protagonist, Tara, is a foundling; a baby girl abandoned on a train. Raised by two mothers in rural Punjab, she struggles to find a sense of belonging and personal happiness.

Coming of age in a village rife with superstition, Tara attempts to find the joy and peace of mind she believes she deserves. However, the complicated lives of people in a rural society that is both patriarchal and feudal makes the poor girl’s attempts as futile as flicking away the swarm of flies that have been following her from her birth. All the characters in the story have challenges of their own, and Tara’s journey winds seamlessly through theirs.

While there are no villains or heroes in this novel, unintended events triggered by a decision are sometimes as tragic and intense as any villainous act, and given the meagre opportunities available to this community, their efforts appear even more heroic in context. Bibi Saffiya, her servant Amman Bhaggan with her three sons, and Maria, the daughter of farm labourers, who works for Saffiya, make up the household run by women in a male-dominated society. In addition, there is the village maulvi and his wife who, along with the Sain Makhianwala, make up the support system available to this struggling marginalized community. Ancient belief systems intertwine with more recent religious practices giving the villagers much needed support.

While there are no villains or heroes in this novel, unintended events triggered by a decision are sometimes as tragic and intense as any villainous act and given the meagre opportunities available to this community, their efforts appear even more heroic in context. Bibi Saffiya, her servant Amman Bhaggan with her three sons and Maria, the daughter of farm labourers, who works for Saffiya, make up the household run by women in a male-dominated society

The final section of the book is narrated by the swarm of flies who have been observing the whole series of events. This is a brilliantly conceived strategy to bring the narrative to a close.

Rana has woven universal themes of identity, love, and freedom into the fabric of rural south Asia in a manner that makes the lives of her characters vivid and poignant. In this richly imagined landscape she places characters whose actions shock and enthral us twice over. First because of the fact that they occur and secondly because given the circumstances we cannot imagine any other way forward. Her use of evocative metaphors creates a world that is simultaneously intense and bleak, reminiscent of the prose of Thomas Hardy and rural England. At the same time, Rana uses magical-realism as a technique to carry the reader into a world where the supernatural is a relevant to the lives of its inhabitants as the mundane events of a village. It is this combination of literary styles that creates a unique experience for the reader. This debut novel is a truly authentic depiction of the reality of rural Pakistan.

Anniqua Rana lives in California with her husband and two sons. She teaches English to immigrant and international students at community college. Her extended family lives in Pakistan and England, and she visits them regularly to rekindle her roots.

The writer is an artist and a published author, based in Spain. Her interests, qualifications, and professional experience are all related to literature, linguistics and the fine arts. Currently, residing in Spain, Selma is working on a series of paintings