37 Bridges by Aamer Hussein: My Review

This story is full of human emotions and states of mind; dislocation, isolation, a sense of loss, and nostalgia. The story is weaved in layers, nuances with meaningful subtexts implied which makes it challenging to dig out all layers of meanings. In the part where the narrator meets his friend, Laila, on the love lock bridge in Paris, the dialogues get deeper and deeper hitting an abyss of ambiguity. The locks lay heavy on the bridge, and all the keys were in the river; she as well had visited this bridge with her lover, but it didn’t help, and the love was never fulfilling enough. Laila is Turkish-Cyprian living in Paris now, and the narrator has come to visit her. Isolation, anguish, separation, and displacement are the significant themes conveyed in the subtexts of dialogues, implied very strongly.

The story depicts familiar pangs of modern life where the sense of belongingness is lost, and shallowness has swept society. The pursuit of happiness seems like a never-ending race, and love seems lost. Humans are unable to find themselves and find fulfilment. The story is well structured with all layers and flavours of meanings, making it quite indulging in digging out the implications that drive it to the depths.

• Things I explored through this story.
  • Isolation, dislocation, sense of loss.
  • Nostalgia, diaspora, anguish, the pursuit of happiness.