The Narrow Smile by Peter Mayne

3.5 out of 5 stars

The publisher provided a copy of this, free of charge, in return for an honest review.

Peter Mayne knew India well. He had grown up there and apart from a short period when he was schooled in the UK he was there until 1949 when he moved to Morocco. The partition of the country happened this time and he ended up as deputy sectary to Pakistan’s Ministry of Refugees & Rehabilitation. When serving in this position, he came to know the Paktun people whose tribal lands bridged the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

After a few years spent in Morocco, he wanted to head back to the region to see what it was like now and to catch up with some of his friends from the past. This book is the story of that journey.

I found it a relaxed and slow-paced travel book, but I hought that it is worth reading for a snapshot of the region in the early 1950s. He is a thoughtful and observant traveller, sensitive to the Paktun’s way of life and their outlook. He is welcomed by all the people that he meets, and manages to catch up with some friends and associates from the past. One thing that did strike me from his prose, is that the privilege and authority that he had when he was part of the occupying force is long gone. The balance has very much shifted, but that said, he is still a valued guest, even though he is subject to the whims and demands of his hosts. This power shift becomes even more evident when he keeps trying to push south into Afghanistan. Permission is eventually granted, but then he cannot find anyone to take him.

His lyrical writing style immersed me in the place; I felt the heat as he did, sat alongside him on the bus journeys as they bumped along the roads and watched the ‘Jawanan’ dance through his eyes. They were most happy people, content with their lot but were so difficult to lead. Their independence had been hard won and they weren’t going to let any country usurp that. I thought that this was well worth reading and a reminder that I must read his Moroccan book.