“Behind every living soul is a history of life which is inflicted by pain, love, determination, despair and the internal strife to escape!”
Goat Days is a story Najeeb, a shepherd who was once a man
with dreams of coming back home with enough to live along with his wife, Sainu
and his unborn child. Yet, what remained ajar for him was the desolate air of
Gulf and the job he was offered which drowned him into the depths he couldn’t
see. Written by Benyamin, Goat Days is one of the best pieces of work he has
produced, depicting Arab Life, harsh climate, realities and how different it is
from the lovely-dovey phase of it.
Juxtaposed with contradicting ideas and dreams, he travels
with a companion only to meet his darkest destiny which he wasn’t expecting.
After all, who expects his/her life to be pure tragedy once they reach the land
they thought was flowing with milk and honey? Living as a shepherd, striving
through the lashes of the leather belt, he grows into a slave with a mind that
still remains in Kerala. It’s his story of developing into an unrecognizable
form of himself with a stinking piece of clothing and beard which made him like
the others, the slaves.
The constant lashes,
the scarcity of food, the bond he develops with goats, especially with Nabeel
build Najeeb into a more vulnerable yet strong man who finally tries to escape
the desert camp with two other companions. The strenuous journey along with his
mates and his determination to continue is the biggest plus point considering
the counter-attacks of fear and loneliness yet what remained for him was an
oasis. What happens next is the curiosity of the reader who find himself trying
to dig deep!
One of the best escape-survivor thrillers encapsulated with
fear and anticipation till the end of the book. Even when someone spots him and
helps him, the fear doesn’t end, neither for Najeeb nor for the audience. Even
though the climax is predictable, ‘Goat Days’ is the kind of story that doesn’t
bother about the climax as it is all about the harsh realities of an Arabian
slave is about.
Goat Days outwits Jasmine Days with its storyline and the
words used by the author which keep the audience on a hook, whether it was a happy
moment or a sad one. Benyamin delivers a great book by making us feel all the
emotions depicted by Najeeb using simple words which were never plain. True
depiction holds value and Benyamin keeps on proving it by translating and
writing blood-red stories moulded with experience and adding extra of his magic
to create a book that is worthy of an award and an adaptation!
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