Afia Muhammed Amin’s, ‘Possession’ (A Short Story) Review
I will be honest I thought it was a ghost story.
It wasn’t.
The story has been published by Dastaan.
Afia tries to answer the big questions.
The more I think about it. I realize short fiction is more difficult to write than the novel genre. I read somewhere it says. A short story sometimes can say in very few words which a novel can’t.
Afia’s story, ‘Possession’ tries to answer the question: Can money buy happiness?
This is a philosophical question. Tons of literature have been written on the subject.
Afia’s characters Hadia and Hassan are at end of the spectrum. Hassan believes money can buy happiness. Hadia says it can’t.
Opposites attract and they fall in love but still, the question remains, the argument remains. Can money buy happiness?
The argument goes back and forth. They reach no verdict. How can they with hypothetical arguments?
The plot keeps moving until there arises a situation where both characters are forced to reconsider their stance. Hadia and Hassan are forced to question their own belief about materialism, were they correct previously or in the light of the new situation. They will change their stance.
My thoughts
My basic measure for liking a literary work is, can it take hold of you? Can the story make you believe it’s real? Can it make you put down your cell phone? Can it make you think?
I would say Afia’s story meets the above criteria.
But I must confess I disliked some parts,
‘SPOILER ALERT’
I don’t like happy endings. I wanted one character to die which didn’t. I was rooting for materialism but Idealism won.
I don’t believe in the rating system so I am not going to rate it but I would say it’s a good well-crafted story with suspense and twist.
If you are looking for an easy read which can also make you think I totally recommend this. You can read the story here.
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