Are You Enjoying?: Stories

This reader was very interested to learn more about the work of a Pakistani writer. The author is an actress as well as a writer. She was educated in the United States and lives in both countries. This gives her a Western sensibility, and her stories, as collected in this volume, seemingly reflect that.

The stories range from the well-known truism of a young actress facing the realities of the casting couch to couples using an arranged marriage to hide their secret sexuality. One of the more interesting stories involves a brother who beats up his sister’s fiancé in an attempt to manage the man’s indiscretion.

The title story concerns a young woman involved with an older married man. Like many of the author’s stories, this story rings true but reveals nothing deeper than a sad happenstance. Perhaps the world is shrinking so much that one culture seems very like another and the Western influence pervades completely. Unfortunately, these stories are relatable but not memorable.