Book Review: Little Maryam

Book: Little Maryam

Author: Hamid Baig

Publisher: Notion Press
Genre: Fiction | Romance

Pages: 285

Price: 160 INR


A story of unconditional love and sacrifice!

"Little Maryam" is a story of unconditional love that will surely move you, especially if you are a romantic at heart. It has all the ingredients to make your eyes moist as you think about how deep a person's love can be. The book rightly demonstrates that sacrifice is the highest form of love. 

The story starts with Saadiq Haider, a renowned gene therapist taking a flight to India. He meets journalist Anne Miller in the flight, who is deeply interested in his personal life. Although Anne's curiosity at first is fuelled by her professional goals, she soon gets deeply invested in Saadiq's story and promises him that she would not write about it. 

During the course of the flight from the US to India, Saadiq tells Anne his love story. Through Saadiq's eyes, both Anne and the readers meet Maryam and get to know their beautiful love story. Saadiq met little 9-year-old Maryam at the age of 14 and they instantly hit it off and became inseparable. After being together for years, they get separated when Saadiq gets jailed and Maryam gets married to someone else. 

After getting out of jail, Saadiq moves on in life with memories of Maryam. He becomes extremely successful, but when he gets to know about Maryam's accident, he immediately takes a flight back to India. After a span of over two decades, Saadiq and Maryam meet, but is it the last meeting or the start of a new journey? Or is it a mirage of unfulfilled dreams and hopes? What is the role of Saadiq in Maryam's life? Is he born to love her? Or is he born to protect her?

The emotions of the two characters portrayed in the book by the author make you feel their pain and happiness. I especially loved the childhood moments of Maryam and Saadiq, which are beautifully written by the author. The innocence and love of the two characters will surely warm your heart. The narration is lucid and the story also maintains a good amount of suspense throughout that makes you want to keep turning the pages. 

However, as the story neared the end, it became a tad melodramatic. Certain elements were thrown into the plot deliberately to make the tragedy look like the greatest love story ever. Certain things seem a little unbelievable and forced, but it helps in making the book a tear-jerker. There are also a few typos which can be overlooked. The book ends beautifully with an excerpt from Saadiq's biography authored by Anne Miller. 

I am going with 4 stars and would like to recommend the book to anyone who wants to read a good romantic fiction. This love story will surely warm your heart and move you. Keep the tissues handy, if you are an emotional person.