The Way You Live by Mehrin Ruaid brings out life’s important questions about choosing a life partner. Perhaps it is the most crucial aspect in one’s life – to choose the right person to tie the knot with. The story begins with Eman – the protagonist. She is seen showing interest in Farhan – her cousin. Mehrin presents the mental and emotional challenges Eman faces when meeting with people at her workplace and while continuing her relationship with Farhan who has certain personality and mental issues.
Mehrin brings to the fore the life of Eman as she is approached by Azhar who is her colleague at an educational institution. Eman refused his marriage proposal. She wanted to complain about his actions to the management. However, she did not want to put the breadwinner of his family fall into trouble.
The emotional journey of Eman is portrayed through her actions, spoken lines, and her interactions with others – family members and friends. While struggling to comprehend her unwavering emotions for her cousin, Eman experiences a series of events that pulls her into another direction - spiritually. She finds herself at a crossroads, where she can either choose to follow her religious beliefs and wait patiently for the results or become a rebel and acquire whatever she wills. Mehrin has crafted the story of Eman’s journey as she tries to find out herself – explore her emotions and seek a direction in her life.
While the concept of the story will attract readers’ attention, Mehrin may need to focus on enhancing her writing expression and style. They are developed over time and such insights from critics and readers do help writers fine-tune their storytelling style. Furthermore, debutant authors often become excited to share their stories and use flowery words or adjectives to explain scenes and emotions. They do the same when presenting action or spoken lines.. Mehrin – a debutant author herself – has fallen into the same trap. There is nothing wrong to use adjectives, only if they are used when needed and when necessary. This can be a learning point for Mehrin and other debutant authors or those working on their debut book who are reading this review. It is always better to use the concept of “show, don’t tell”. It is when writers show a scene or an action as it is – without the use of adjectives or heavy words that readers may not comprehend. In some parts of the novel, Mehrin has used speech for for the right purpose. She moves the story while sharing the characters’ thoughts. However, at some places the talking becomes a drag. For instance, the parts where Eman is in conversation with Khizer Murtaza, brother of Eman’s friend Yamna. Eman and Khizer become friends and later get married. Their speaking to each other - especially during their post-marriage - seems endless. They do reflect on their thoughts and connect with their characters’ progression, but the lines could have been fewer with more narration of the characters’ journey .
Mehrin has also discussed the significance of respect, morals, and principles through Farhan’s character – Eman’s cousin. He has no respect for his elders and is attracted to materialism. She has managed to win Eman’s trust and made her fall for him. But Farhan never wants to commit to a long-term relationship. Eman does not want to be associated with someone rude as well. Their relationship ends with whatever feelings she had for Farhan fading away. Farhan’s materialistic side is also reflected when he meets Eman in a shopping mall. “Did you get a job?” Farhan asks her when she notices her wearing new clothes. Farhan becomes jealous when he finds out that Eman got married. He is uncomfortable seeing her move on in life. It is a social dilemma that Mehrin has pointed out through her characters - something we can relate to.
Currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Physics, Mehrin grew up in Charsadda. She encountered typical female-constraining social norms and conventions. She has been writing articles, stories, and poems and recently worked on a project of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information and Technology Board as a content writer and digital marketing head.
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