A History of Insects

Roberts, Yvonne. A History of Insects. Surrey: Review, 2000.

The novel deals with a colonial (to be more precise, post colonial - Peshwar, Pakistan in the 50s) childhood, the memsahibs and the sahibs still in an illusionary world of pre-independence, the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and its targetting of the West, the meaningless marriages in which both men and women are caught, the racial tensions between the whites and the browns etc are the setting of this growing up tale of Ella Jackson. While it happens in the explosive situation of inter-racial tensions, the story is about the different secrets that Ella Jackson, the main character in the novel witnesses. They are all secrets of sexuality, forbidden and therefore dark. It is also the consequences of speaking about secrets. In fact, the title is derived from Ella's contradictory desire to speak and to keep secrets - her diary is named "A History of Insects" to make it look unattractive to the grownups.

She is child of nine, known to be imaginative and causing a lot of worry and distress to her mother, Alice due to that. Bill, her father, is from the working class background, and is unhappy in marriage. His only reason to hang on to Alice and her pettiness is Ella. The girl is growing up, lonely and without any reassuarance from a mother who thinks she has come between her and her husband's affection. The story revolves around an incident that Ella accidentally witnesses. She sees the murder of a Pakistani army man, colonel Ashraf Khan Afridi, who she revers and likes as her "uncle Ash." This happens in the "secret garden" which she frequents with the gardner Shafi. She witnesses the neighbour's wife, Marjorie and Ash making love and later, Marjorie's husband, Piers murdering Ash. But, since the body is never found, no one believes Ella. Ash's family is used to his disappearances and they do not complain. Ella is removed to the boarding school for some time due to Alice's insistence. It is St. Winifred's at Chowdiagalli. There Ella is subjected to the combined torture of Zuhra Iqbal who teaches her that "teacher's pets" like her and other white girls should be taught another lesson. She is a witness to another secret, between Caro and Millie, two senior girls in her group named "Buttercup." Both she and Zuhra are subjected to witness Dr. Mac, a preacher, masturbating. Zuhra has to leave St. Winifred's because she tells the truth about him. Ella remains because she becomes dumb and unable to speak for many months. Betty, the considerate American picks her up forcibly from the school and gets her home. But, it is trouble time there. President Nasser has announced the nationalisation of Suez Canal and anti-West sentiment is blowing all over the Islamic countries. There is riot in whcih Ella's father and Betty rescue and Anglo-Indian family, but seriously jeopardizing his career in the meanwhile.