Love, Betrayal, Upholding Appearances, and Relationship Troubles – Keeping Up With The Desis might just be what Eye on the Prize is all about! Looking for a Perfect Family Read this January? Safinah Danish Elahi has written one for you.
How often do you dream success as being financially wealthy and famous? Do you think being rich and popular is easy? Will your life be perfect if you are well-off and well known? Oh well…You must always remember the popular saying by William Shakespeare “All that glitters is not gold.”
Introduction
The novel “Eye on the Prize” is the debut novel of Safinah Danish Elahi. The book was published on August 3rd, 2020. by Liberty Publishing. The story revolves around three elite class women and their families who interconnect with each other, one way or another. For the world, these super-wealthy families might have it all, but their struggles and challenges are very real too.
Main Characters
Shezrey, Minahil, and Hina are three modern-day mothers, closely related to each other because their kids attend the same school. The world might think they have it all sorted but that’s not the case at all. Each of them has a different set of trepidations and issues to handle regarding their family status, marital status, and most importantly children’s societal status. Currently, the center of attraction is this upcoming race held by the prestigious school attended by their children. Considering this as a prime opportunity for the children to enter in the race for international games, all the parents are vying for their offspring. Being a desi parent, who wouldn’t want their child to be 1st in everything anyway?
“Someone will rescue me from the flames and dragons.”
-Natalia-Sophia from Eye on the prize
Main Focus of the Story
The story emphasizes the unpredictability regarding marriages and toxicity in parenting styles. Although the families are financially sound, they aren’t equipped to come come to mutually acceptable decisions. Three of the couples are portrayed in unhappy relationships, because one of them isn’t on the same page as the other. Parents expect too much from their children without even bothering to gauge their willingness and allowing them free will to follow their hearts desires. Moreover, the book focuses on the neglectful behavior of parents towards their child’s mental health issues. Funny isn’t it? Rich people are just as culpable (also desi enough) to write off mental illness as nothing more than mere assumptions.
Personal Experience
Eye on the Prize makes us wonder sometimes – is the prize really worth it?
This novel was one of the best books I read in 2020. Safinah Danish Elahi did a marvelous job at writing a story inter-woven with multiple relationship complexities and layered characters, even though it’s her first-novel. All the characters felt real because of their imperfections yet, at the same time, they held strengths and qualities we could relate with. Most importantly, the story resonated with desi readers. The plot kept me engaged right till the very last page. From the beginning till the end the pace of the book remained swift, leaving me curious to know more after every successive chapter.
About the author – Safinah Danish Elahi
Safinah Danish Elahi is a Lawyer by profession and also runs a publishing house ‘Reverie Publishers’. She is a renowned poetess as well as a versatile author. The world knows Safinah for ‘The Unbridled Romance of Love and Pain’ and a notable first novel: ‘Eye on the Prize. In a very short period, Safinah has turned heads & made us await her future literary endeavours with bated breath!
Excellently worded.
Will definitely read the book.
❤️❤️
This has got me all excited for reading this one!