Beyond the Fields

Born To A Poor, Landless Farmer In The Month Of The Monsoon Rains, Twins Zara And Tara Grow Up Amongst The Fields Of Wheat And Cotton In A Remote Village In Pakistan. During An Afternoon Spree Of Games, Tara Is Kidnapped From The Fields And Raped. All Seems To Be Resolved After Her Parents Accept An Unexpected Marriage Proposal For Their “dishonoured” Daughter. But The Nightmare Resurfaces When A Newspaper Clipping Emerges, Calling The Union Into Question. Determined To Rescue Her Twin, Zara Embarks On A Harrowing Quest For Justice, Battling Keepers Of A Culture That Upholds Propriety Above All Else And Braving The Unknown Dangers Of An Urban Centre. Set In The Early 1980s Against The Backdrop Of Martial Law And Social Turmoil, Beyond The Fields Is A Riveting, Timely Look At Profound Inequality, Traditions That Disempower Women In Our World, And Survival As A Dance To The Beat Of A Different Future. "Zara and Tara, twins born to a poor farmer in South Punjab, work from dawn to dusk. Their father toils day after day but is forced to sell his produce to their landlord at a subsidized rate. Zara is passionate about learning and is thrilled at an opportunity to take an exam that might win her a scholarship to a girls' school in a neighbouring village. However, Zara and Tara discover that their parents have already arranged their dowries. During an afternoon spree of games, Tara is kidnapped from the fields and raped. When Zara's father accepts a shocking marriage proposal for Tara, Zara opposes his decision. When it emerges that Tara's husband has been keeping her in a brothel, the twins' parents declare that it is too dangerous for them to interfere and they must accept that Tara is lost to them. Determined to find her twin and seek justice, Zara embarks on a harrowing quest to rescue Tara and find a safe space in their village in a world where girls and women, all too often, don't support one another."--Provided by publisher