What do you think?
Rate this book
The Purana Qila Stories #1
A Change in the Weather
When Imran was a young doctor in England, he faced a decision that would change lives forever. Now, as an old man entering the last days of his life with his loving family in India, the decision he made fifty years ago has the power to upend everything he stands for and destroy the devotion of his family and friends. One person knows his secret and must decide what is revealed or remain hidden. Reminiscent of the style of “An Atlas of Impossible Longing”, “A Change in the Weather” is a poignant tale about honor and loss, and how these two forces have unforeseen consequences that spill from one generation into the next.
- GenresShort Stories
21 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 30, 2012
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 1, 2014
(MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!)
I received this as an R4R. I love short stories so I was sure to like it. And I thank the R4R community and the author.
It was not horrible, that is the thing. I am giving it two stars because it was very confusing to me. To many names and when referring to he or she I was not sure who the person narrating the story was speaking of. The narration was off. This story could have been told more simply. It was the longest 19 pages I have ever read.
This story appears to be about a father and his son. They do not get along so well. Then the father starts what seems to be a romance with Emily. I get that Emily is much younger.
His father passes away and leaves a stack of letters for his son to read. And what he finds out is interesting. It was a twist. Again, I was still confused about the father of the baby and whether the narrators son had also loved Emily.
It had some nice writing parts. Some good descriptions. But just the names. There was too many people that did not belong in the story that I could see from the ending. And there were many details that did not enhance the story.
I still would read something of this authors because I believe there is something there.
I received this as an R4R. I love short stories so I was sure to like it. And I thank the R4R community and the author.
It was not horrible, that is the thing. I am giving it two stars because it was very confusing to me. To many names and when referring to he or she I was not sure who the person narrating the story was speaking of. The narration was off. This story could have been told more simply. It was the longest 19 pages I have ever read.
This story appears to be about a father and his son. They do not get along so well. Then the father starts what seems to be a romance with Emily. I get that Emily is much younger.
His father passes away and leaves a stack of letters for his son to read. And what he finds out is interesting. It was a twist. Again, I was still confused about the father of the baby and whether the narrators son had also loved Emily.
It had some nice writing parts. Some good descriptions. But just the names. There was too many people that did not belong in the story that I could see from the ending. And there were many details that did not enhance the story.
I still would read something of this authors because I believe there is something there.
February 21, 2022
More often than not I get the most out of a poem if I read it quoted in some other writer’s book. I would catch the melody and gloom of Jibananada’s poetry most when mentioned in other writers’ books. I think my maturity for grasping raw literature is not yet fully formed. Anyway, this is my second read of Shaheen Ashraf-Ahmed. Barbara recommended all of Shaheen’s writing to me and I was so joyful to find all of them for free on Kindle! The first one I read was ‘The dust beneath her feet’ which I found very nicely written but somewhat encoded. Before jumping into her second short story, I decided to read Barbara’s review first. Barbara, my reading soul, has written quite a detailed review for such a short read. And yeah, I enjoyed my second read of Shaheen after reading Barbara’s review.
As with the first book, I loved how detailed and accurate the portrayals of this one are. A man’s life’s two time frames go side by side in the story. One is not directly answering the other, there is no twist and turn type of thing. Rather small facts running throughout the story, which I would say made it a very balanced short story. Not a long read, makes you think for a while and you look forward to reading something like this again. To change the weather of your reading climate…
As with the first book, I loved how detailed and accurate the portrayals of this one are. A man’s life’s two time frames go side by side in the story. One is not directly answering the other, there is no twist and turn type of thing. Rather small facts running throughout the story, which I would say made it a very balanced short story. Not a long read, makes you think for a while and you look forward to reading something like this again. To change the weather of your reading climate…
January 28, 2019
It’s often said that in the moments before you die your life passes in front of your eyes. I’m sceptical about how true that is since anyone who’s had it happen to them is unlikely to be able to report back after the event. By contrast, I can believe that in their final days, the sick and dying probably do look back on their lives and think about the people they loved, the chances they missed and the things that might have been different if they’d come to life’s junctions and taken a different direction. This is the theme of Shaheen Ashraf-Ahmed’s short story A Change in the Weather.
An old man lies in his bedroom in India, gathering the people and things he loves around him. His wife’s oil paintings from their honeymoon in Kashmir hang on the walls and he remembers their first days together as man and wife. His granddaughter’s comic books sit on the shelf and he thinks about her coming to visit later in the day to laugh as she reads and to play her music. His wife of over 40 years has lined up all his medicine bottles and he lies by the window watching and listening to life go on outside. His son rolls up in his sports car and reluctantly discusses the arranged marriage his parents hope he’ll accept and an old friend visits to help him plot that son’s future.
When his granddaughter picks up a book on his shelf – a Dylan Thomas – which has an inscription “R., for changing the weather of my heart, E.” on the fly-leaf. She asks him who are R and E and his mind drifts off to think about his youth.
Fifty years earlier he was a medical student in London, struggling with the cold and the strange ways of the locals. He met a girl, Emily, whom he loved and who loved him. She called him ‘Raan’ – the R of the inscription. He recalls how they met the first time, the second and then for the following months, becoming first friends and then rather more until circumstances back in India sent him home. He hadn’t intended to stay in India, had planned his life to be in England, but as we all know, life doesn’t always respect our plans. When he left Emily put the book into his suitcase – “In case you forget me.”
As the book flips back and forth between the London of his past and the India of his present, the absence of much of a future is at the back of our minds. Imran doesn’t tell us why things went wrong, why he left Emily behind or what happened to her. We’re left to discover that through a bunch of undelivered letters which Imran believes to have been destroyed many years before. As readers we’re left wondering if he took the right decisions, weighing up the happiness of his life with his wife and family against the life he could have had thousands of miles away.
This is the second of Shaheen Ashraf-Ahmed’s short stories I’ve read and the first which she published as a Kindle e-book. This is not a book that will take you long to read but you may find as soon as you’ve finished it that you go straight back and read it again. I found subtleties the second time around that I missed the first time. I missed the revelation about why his son lost his parrot first time but it all made sense the second time.
Ashraf-Ahmed’s short stories are great read once and even better repeated.
Not everyone likes short stories and I’m not always a fan. Too often a short story is written because the author hasn’t got a big enough story to make a ‘proper’ book out of it but that’s not the case with this story. Fortunately Shaheen’s short stories are exceptional. They are tasty nuggets of life which leave the reader with plenty of unanswered questions and lots to think about. I enjoyed the snippets of Imran’s life in 1960s London with Emily as well as the finely crafted details of the minutiae of his elderly life. The pictures she paints of the room Imran lives in, the things he has around him and the family he loves are so strong that we can easily imagine we’re sitting on that hard chair in his room watching everything that happens.
An old man lies in his bedroom in India, gathering the people and things he loves around him. His wife’s oil paintings from their honeymoon in Kashmir hang on the walls and he remembers their first days together as man and wife. His granddaughter’s comic books sit on the shelf and he thinks about her coming to visit later in the day to laugh as she reads and to play her music. His wife of over 40 years has lined up all his medicine bottles and he lies by the window watching and listening to life go on outside. His son rolls up in his sports car and reluctantly discusses the arranged marriage his parents hope he’ll accept and an old friend visits to help him plot that son’s future.
When his granddaughter picks up a book on his shelf – a Dylan Thomas – which has an inscription “R., for changing the weather of my heart, E.” on the fly-leaf. She asks him who are R and E and his mind drifts off to think about his youth.
Fifty years earlier he was a medical student in London, struggling with the cold and the strange ways of the locals. He met a girl, Emily, whom he loved and who loved him. She called him ‘Raan’ – the R of the inscription. He recalls how they met the first time, the second and then for the following months, becoming first friends and then rather more until circumstances back in India sent him home. He hadn’t intended to stay in India, had planned his life to be in England, but as we all know, life doesn’t always respect our plans. When he left Emily put the book into his suitcase – “In case you forget me.”
As the book flips back and forth between the London of his past and the India of his present, the absence of much of a future is at the back of our minds. Imran doesn’t tell us why things went wrong, why he left Emily behind or what happened to her. We’re left to discover that through a bunch of undelivered letters which Imran believes to have been destroyed many years before. As readers we’re left wondering if he took the right decisions, weighing up the happiness of his life with his wife and family against the life he could have had thousands of miles away.
This is the second of Shaheen Ashraf-Ahmed’s short stories I’ve read and the first which she published as a Kindle e-book. This is not a book that will take you long to read but you may find as soon as you’ve finished it that you go straight back and read it again. I found subtleties the second time around that I missed the first time. I missed the revelation about why his son lost his parrot first time but it all made sense the second time.
Ashraf-Ahmed’s short stories are great read once and even better repeated.
Not everyone likes short stories and I’m not always a fan. Too often a short story is written because the author hasn’t got a big enough story to make a ‘proper’ book out of it but that’s not the case with this story. Fortunately Shaheen’s short stories are exceptional. They are tasty nuggets of life which leave the reader with plenty of unanswered questions and lots to think about. I enjoyed the snippets of Imran’s life in 1960s London with Emily as well as the finely crafted details of the minutiae of his elderly life. The pictures she paints of the room Imran lives in, the things he has around him and the family he loves are so strong that we can easily imagine we’re sitting on that hard chair in his room watching everything that happens.
January 30, 2014
Author's Hand down
Thanks to the shut up and read community as well as the author for lending me a copy to read and review
As much as i want to appreciate the efforts of the writer i am also distressed because of nothing good to say about the whole book except maybe that the plot ended in a unique twist which was quite nice.
What i did not like about the book is the language itself which is not at all narrative and in fact leave a impression of having to make an effort to understand and read between the lines to actually understand what exactly is going on in the whole story.
Unfortunately there is no flow to the story and the interruption of unrelated scenarios just messes up the whole narration . To say its only 19 pages but to me these were the toughest 19 pages that i had to read as nothing kept making sense and everything was sort of a passim if i could say so.
while appreciating the efforts of the author i would say that the book is a complete miss for me as the language is not narrative and smooth and absolutely creates a whole lot of confusion and havoc midst too much poetic description of unwanted and totally unrelated stuffs.
the book would have made a great read had the author made the narration more simpler than going with being so much poetic and also making sure that there is a smooth and gradual flow of events even if it is jumping from the present to past. but unfortunately not being all these the book was the hardest 19 pages of my reading experience
If i could advice, i would say that the author should try keeping his narration simple and captive and not essentially using swirling lines that doesn't hit the target
Thanks to the shut up and read community as well as the author for lending me a copy to read and review
As much as i want to appreciate the efforts of the writer i am also distressed because of nothing good to say about the whole book except maybe that the plot ended in a unique twist which was quite nice.
What i did not like about the book is the language itself which is not at all narrative and in fact leave a impression of having to make an effort to understand and read between the lines to actually understand what exactly is going on in the whole story.
Unfortunately there is no flow to the story and the interruption of unrelated scenarios just messes up the whole narration . To say its only 19 pages but to me these were the toughest 19 pages that i had to read as nothing kept making sense and everything was sort of a passim if i could say so.
while appreciating the efforts of the author i would say that the book is a complete miss for me as the language is not narrative and smooth and absolutely creates a whole lot of confusion and havoc midst too much poetic description of unwanted and totally unrelated stuffs.
the book would have made a great read had the author made the narration more simpler than going with being so much poetic and also making sure that there is a smooth and gradual flow of events even if it is jumping from the present to past. but unfortunately not being all these the book was the hardest 19 pages of my reading experience
If i could advice, i would say that the author should try keeping his narration simple and captive and not essentially using swirling lines that doesn't hit the target
January 14, 2013
The Purana Qila Stories
The Dust Beneath Her Feet
A Change in the Weather
by Shaheen Ashraf-Ahmed
Some stories rest in the margins.
Some are always just past the rim of our glasses, and we turn pages, squinting, trying to improve our view.
The Purana Qila Stories: The Dust Beneath Her Feet and A Change in the Weather, by Shaheen Ashraf-Ahmed are pearl-like, almost glowing from their own light, suggesting, but not telling all they’ve seen.
Purana Qila is the oldest known structure in Delhi, and it was also the locus of Muslim refugees trying to leave India and move into the newly formed state of Pakistan during the Partition. The stories themselves are refugees. In some instances, the fleeing is physical and divisive; in others, the flight is ideological or emotional. Ashraf-Ahmed asks us not only from what do we run, but towards what, and with whom?
Each story laps the ankles of one man and the people associated with him. They are fluid in time and geography and point of view, moving shamelessly like memory. Ashraf-Ahmed pushes at the notions of honor and loyalty, shifting points of view and time. Roti-like, they wrap around the binding decisions of common men, containing bites of lives. The dish, however, remains largely outside of one’s hands.
‘If the eggs spoil in their shells, it is because of something we did.’ Safiyah tells her daughters, as she tries to navigate the whims of her husband, his employer, and the increasing danger of being an unprotected individual in 1947. The Dust Beneath Her Feet is an observation of those who may only react to the decisions of others. The action, the movement, in the story is all committed by second-tier characters. Thus, the novella itself describes the margins of activity, the consequences of being in someone else’s shade.
The prose is tight and delicate, each phrase carefully tuned. It is musical in tempo and cadence. It is powerful in its restraint and discretion.
A Change in the Weather brings our hero into closer view. Only a point of reference in The Dust Beneath Her Feet, in A Change in the Weather, Imran is presented to us for evaluation, after he has out lived his potential. The narrative presents us with his choices during the decades since The Dust Beneath Her Feet , and we are left to determine if he chose properly or poorly.
Both stories are available through amazon. They are extraordinary, and worthwhile. Shaheen Ashraf-Ahmed’s blog is http://coinsinthewell.wordpress.com.
This review first appeared on irevuo.com, Friday Reads.
The Dust Beneath Her Feet
A Change in the Weather
by Shaheen Ashraf-Ahmed
Some stories rest in the margins.
Some are always just past the rim of our glasses, and we turn pages, squinting, trying to improve our view.
The Purana Qila Stories: The Dust Beneath Her Feet and A Change in the Weather, by Shaheen Ashraf-Ahmed are pearl-like, almost glowing from their own light, suggesting, but not telling all they’ve seen.
Purana Qila is the oldest known structure in Delhi, and it was also the locus of Muslim refugees trying to leave India and move into the newly formed state of Pakistan during the Partition. The stories themselves are refugees. In some instances, the fleeing is physical and divisive; in others, the flight is ideological or emotional. Ashraf-Ahmed asks us not only from what do we run, but towards what, and with whom?
Each story laps the ankles of one man and the people associated with him. They are fluid in time and geography and point of view, moving shamelessly like memory. Ashraf-Ahmed pushes at the notions of honor and loyalty, shifting points of view and time. Roti-like, they wrap around the binding decisions of common men, containing bites of lives. The dish, however, remains largely outside of one’s hands.
‘If the eggs spoil in their shells, it is because of something we did.’ Safiyah tells her daughters, as she tries to navigate the whims of her husband, his employer, and the increasing danger of being an unprotected individual in 1947. The Dust Beneath Her Feet is an observation of those who may only react to the decisions of others. The action, the movement, in the story is all committed by second-tier characters. Thus, the novella itself describes the margins of activity, the consequences of being in someone else’s shade.
The prose is tight and delicate, each phrase carefully tuned. It is musical in tempo and cadence. It is powerful in its restraint and discretion.
A Change in the Weather brings our hero into closer view. Only a point of reference in The Dust Beneath Her Feet, in A Change in the Weather, Imran is presented to us for evaluation, after he has out lived his potential. The narrative presents us with his choices during the decades since The Dust Beneath Her Feet , and we are left to determine if he chose properly or poorly.
Both stories are available through amazon. They are extraordinary, and worthwhile. Shaheen Ashraf-Ahmed’s blog is http://coinsinthewell.wordpress.com.
This review first appeared on irevuo.com, Friday Reads.
February 2, 2014
*** Copy given in exchange for a review from Goodreads Group Read it & Reap***
I have never read a short story like this, but then I am hardly a short story connoisseur. I have read some that have been dramatic and impactful and some that have been week and lifeless. I am not exactly sure where this story falls. I like reading stories set in other countries, especially India. I find India endlessly fascinating. To me, I find the culture a beatifically heartbreaking microcosm of mankind’s strengths and weaknesses. India is such a land of wealth and poverty in more that just the literal sense.
I guess this story was a brief snapshot of this theme. A tale of a man’s loyalty and desire to honor family above all while simultaneously debasing and denying those very values.
A subtle tail of how one person’s actions or in fact, inactions, can impact a great many lives.
I was surprised at how many layers the author was able to put into so short a tail. I kept going back to reread pages after each revelation and I think I will reread the entire thing at some point.
I have never read a short story like this, but then I am hardly a short story connoisseur. I have read some that have been dramatic and impactful and some that have been week and lifeless. I am not exactly sure where this story falls. I like reading stories set in other countries, especially India. I find India endlessly fascinating. To me, I find the culture a beatifically heartbreaking microcosm of mankind’s strengths and weaknesses. India is such a land of wealth and poverty in more that just the literal sense.
I guess this story was a brief snapshot of this theme. A tale of a man’s loyalty and desire to honor family above all while simultaneously debasing and denying those very values.
A subtle tail of how one person’s actions or in fact, inactions, can impact a great many lives.
I was surprised at how many layers the author was able to put into so short a tail. I kept going back to reread pages after each revelation and I think I will reread the entire thing at some point.
February 11, 2014
Thanks to the Read It and Reap Program for giving me a copy of this short story to review.
The best thing about this story was the descriptive details. The author was able to paint quite a colorful picture of the actions occurring. That being said, the author perhaps could have done better by this story through expanding it into a novel or a longer short story. In my opinion, short stories need to be anecdotal and to the point, leaving a lesson to be learned or any sort of memorable impression on the reader. This story addressed too many necessary/unnecessary characters and issues too complex to be revealed and resolved in 19 short pages. I was left with questions unanswered but also with little concern to find the answers because the main character did not really have the time or narration to really gain my affection. The story left much to be desired.
The best thing about this story was the descriptive details. The author was able to paint quite a colorful picture of the actions occurring. That being said, the author perhaps could have done better by this story through expanding it into a novel or a longer short story. In my opinion, short stories need to be anecdotal and to the point, leaving a lesson to be learned or any sort of memorable impression on the reader. This story addressed too many necessary/unnecessary characters and issues too complex to be revealed and resolved in 19 short pages. I was left with questions unanswered but also with little concern to find the answers because the main character did not really have the time or narration to really gain my affection. The story left much to be desired.
February 16, 2014
A well written novella. I would definitely recommend this author. The pace of writing is adequate and while the tension between the father and son is explained. There are so many unanswered questions. I don't mind that about a story. It makes it more dynamic and realistic. We all do things that puzzle others and make decisions that may look questionable.
The only drawback is that there was no time to really understand any of the characters. It is like a snippet that makes you want to delve deeper. An excellent intro to this series. Definitely thinking of investigating the rest of the series.
The only drawback is that there was no time to really understand any of the characters. It is like a snippet that makes you want to delve deeper. An excellent intro to this series. Definitely thinking of investigating the rest of the series.
February 4, 2013
I enjoyed reading it. A change in the weather is a tale of an elderly man reflecting back on his life and scarred relationship with his son, the reasons behind it unfolding as the story progresses. I liked the story and the lyrical prose in which the writer has depicted the contrast of geography and culture (England and India) in the 50s that influenced individual decisions. Ahmed has done a great job of flipping between the past and the present without compromising the flow, which is especially commendable to achieve in a short story.
March 7, 2015
I like a book that wraps up a story, unless there is a sequel, in which case, most of the story should be tidied up and a little bit left for the next book. This short story left everything hanging. Which I think for the disjointed way it was put together and since the main POV is from a dying old man, it actually is appropriate. I guess what I'm saying is that the story is written in a realistic style. Old memories and regrets, never ending family quarrels and secrets. Life is messy and doesn't have a tidy ending.
March 13, 2013
I enjoyed this sweet and tender story. I would have preferred if it had been a bit longer, as I felt it only scratched the surface of the intricacies of the family members involved.
The author has a definite way with words - an almost lyrical, melodic manner of telling a story. I found myself wanting more and wishing the author hadn't ended the story as abruptly as she had. I'm glad to see there are more stories to come!
The author has a definite way with words - an almost lyrical, melodic manner of telling a story. I found myself wanting more and wishing the author hadn't ended the story as abruptly as she had. I'm glad to see there are more stories to come!
Read
December 17, 2012Beautiful short-story about a Dr. nearing the end of his life reflecting on his past and choices. Loved it except for the ending which came way too abruptly!
January 11, 2014
Beautifully written. A bit too long, yet still excellent. :)
February 16, 2013
Same review as of her other short story, enjoyable leaving me wanting more.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews