Ice Candy Man

“My world is compressed.” 

With these words, Lenny opens the novel. In the beginning of the novel, Lenny’s understanding is limited by her view from her pram as she is wheeled around Lahore by Ayah. These words also indicate that an older Lenny is narrating these events as she looks back on her life from a time in the future. This dual-voiced narration has the effect of allowing Lenny’s mature voice to express thoughts that are beyond the youthful Lenny’s understanding. As she grows older, the outside world begins to impinge on Lenny’s secure and pampered life, as the view from her pram allows her to witness many adult places and scenes.

“This is my haven. My refuge from the perplexing unrealities of my home on Warris Road . . .” 

Lenny expresses her view of her Godmother’s home: it is a peaceful and comforting place where Lenny can retreat in her times of trouble, doubt, and fear. She receives unconditional love from her Godmother, and her knowledge of that love gives her emotional security and stability throughout her young life. In contrast, her love for her parents is tainted by insecurity: her father is mercurial and distant, while her mother attends to her needs with a guilt-tinged anxiety mixed with coldness.