I’m excited to live in a world where a new Moni Mohsin book is out, alliteratively titled The Impeccable Integrity of Ruby R. In it, Mohsin melds the humour of her Butterfly novels with the serious attention to social injustice and gender issues that distinguished her debut, The End of Innocence.
Not surprisingly, her nose for the zeitgeist has led Mohsin to select a topic of prime interest and importance. She scrutinises the backstabbing world of contemporary Pakistani politics. Here, Saif Haq is a celebrity-turned-politician now leading a party called Integrity. Attracting millennial voters in their droves, the party’s stated mission is to combat injustice, exploitation and corruption. Saif also claims to protect the honour of the nation’s mothers and daughters with reverence and religiosity.