Lenny, a Parsi girl who lives in Lahore, then
known as Paris
of the East. She vividly paints the
backdrop of Pre Partitioned India, the love and hate relationship between the
Hindu and the Muslim communities, and brings to life strong characters who
transgress the differences between the two to live in harmony till they are
dragged apart by the inevitable partition. Emotions of love, trust and mutual
respect between two human beings have very intricately been woven by Lenny and
Ayah, her maid servant, the central characters of the novel. The author touches
upon gender discrimination a controversial subject which is rampant in third
world countries even today. The lively characters narrate the horrors of
partition with eloquent finesse. It climaxes with the triumph over tragedy in
the rescue of a condemned woman from a lifetime of exploitation and redemption
of her honour. This is a brilliant work which will strike an enduring chord in
your heart. Ice Candy man has been filmed as a movie "Earth 1947" by
Deepa Mehta which is a must see.