Duty Free is like a tasty lemon tart--sweet, but with a bite. Concocted by Moni Mohsin, an author making her debut in the U.S. with this witty satire, the unnamed diarist of the book is determinedly shallow, silly and oddly endearing. She's a Pakistani society fixture obsessed with fashion, gos sup and image--think The Trophy Wives of Lahore. One charming trait is her constant malapropisms. Her husband, Janoo, is an "oxen," which is, of course, the title for those who have graduated from Oxford. Our heroine has been charged with finding an appropriate wife for her cousin Jonkers. "Appropriate" in this case means from the same "bagground"--rich.
One delightful scene has the narrarator, in a fit of charity, filling a box for refugees with tranquilizers (it's hard to sleep in a noisy camp), copies of Vogue and a local society rag (so the poor will be heartened by the lovely clothes and parties) and her Barbara Cartland paperbacks (for the kids who need books). For clothes, she adds all of Janoo's old Armani ties, since she knows it will cheer the refugees to finally be able to wear Armani, and her chiffon saris for the women.
With the help of the bridal chase, a terrifying attack by a terrorist, the steady wisdom of Janoo and the refusal by Jonkers to factor anything but love into his marriage, the narrator discovers a dollop of her own good sense and an even better heart. Witty, bright, charming and wise, Duty Free is a delightful find. --K.C. Martin, blogger at The Readable Feast