“WHAT IF?” by Swit La Pound is a collection of eleven well-knit short stories wherein she has combined some facts, real places and people, pivoted on myths, strong doses of folktales and superstitions in the realms depicting the power of witchcraft, supernatural, voodoo and all kinds of evil a reader could imagine.
The tales never lose in the
telling, though sound absurd, as one reads it with reasoning and rationality. Swit
transports us back to our childhood days …"children and youth came on
those nights to curl around the bright fires with us, ears in the air,
attentively taking in the stories, word for word…. here, stories of ghosts, tokoloshe, witchcraft and muti are a daily dish we all believe. Since time
in memorial we have been warned and told, over dim bonfires casting shadows on
the wall, of the spirits that roam this forsaken community, especially in the
night, for whatever reasons known only to them, and assumed by elders to scare
us off.'
Swit
has neatly portrayed mixed hues of cruelty in utterly selfish wicked people as
cunning as a fox; how tactfully they spread evils in society; how they take
advantage of the deeply rooted faiths in dreams, paranormal, and such strange phenomenons
of gullible people who are as innocent as a lamb. She has indirectly depicted
the essentiality of strong bonding in family, which, when beset with unrest, is
how members come together, as a clan and society observing certain traditions, as
otherwise, they know evil triumphs when good men do nothing.
Swit has crafted some nice character developments (Mzee, Sheila, Tasha, Wandile..) and situations with funny imaginations. There are explorations of friendship, conflicts and genuine emotions typifying parents and their children in families. She has effortlessly carried the stories with her interesting style, veering the readers to give a feel of normal events that occur in our day-to-day life:
v
“My phone rang and I
went out of the bathroom, back to the bedroom where I had left it, toothbrush
in mouth still. Mum hated that. She always complained that it looked gross and
unsanitary.”
v "AS HE GREW, TAYLOR became possessive
of his family and would so often, lose his temper, and get into fights and
arguments, when he thought his family needed his protection and defense. In the
same manner; Taylor was adamant about his perception of things, and frequently
had anger outbursts, when people failed to see things his way."
v
Swit has graphically depicted a typical daughter… "She
tested our patience and rebelled against our authority, many times a day, but
after some time, we learnt to live with each other, and understand each other better than we had
before."
Yes, a mother understands what a child
does not say!
Positives
v Engaging chapters, well narrated with unimaginable paradigms.
v Good descriptions of practised cultures.
v Imagery portrayal …… "Open the shed, he did, tried to put down the plough… plough would not budge. The plough somehow was now stuck to his shoulders and hands, involuntarily not letting go. Something was holding everything as he carried it, stuck to his body."
v
Easy flowing natural style… “As growing children, it was in the
blood to explore, break rules and test out the truancy of theories. So, we used
to crown ourselves ‘Sherlock Holmes” and try to crack these mysteries. At times
trying to break the rules hoping for an encounter with these supernatural
forces, against the advice of elders.”
Negatives
v Lack of professional editing. Unconnected sequencing and unclarities disturbing the flow. Absence of a glossary for foreign words.
v
Overdone
narratives – inadequate dialogues.
Swit has challenged some fundamental faiths, what if some of them are not myths or tales, as we think, but the things do happen, whereas we cannot imagine or accept. She makes us ponder over what if it happens in our own life, how we would react to such sad and scary situations.
The readers will enjoy the book as it sustains enthusiasm with
good entertainment value.
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