Twenty-three-year-old Ruby is an MBA and media studies student studying on scholarship at a college in London. She is one amongst many to attend a talk by Saif Haq, an actor-turned-politician from a humble background. His powerful words about the future of the country inspire a messianic devotion among his followers, and she cannot help but be moved by him too. An erstwhile action hero, who was universally adored by his fans, Saif, now in his late 50s, has resurfaced in a new avatar by launching his own fledgling political party—Integrity. Married to a plain woman who is paralysed down one side, Saif is known to have a bit of a sleazy reputation, and frequently preys on young women.
Having a degree in social media, Ruby quizzes Saif about Integrity’s outreach. Impressed by her knowledge and insights, Saif offers her a full-time position in Lahore to manage the party’s online presence. It is a tough decision for Ruby, who has to drop out of her master’s degree course to take up a secure job in order to provide for herself and her mother. The team ensures her a good salary, as they have various sponsors, donors, influential institutions and rich parties backing them. They even show her the possibility of becoming a minister for women’s affairs in the future. Finally, Ruby accepts the offer, reasoning that status and power—and not necessarily a foreign degree—matter most in a country that does not uphold the rights of ordinary citizens.
Ruby begins her job in all earnestness, building the party’s image—fixing its website, creating promotional films, blogs, interviews and podcasts. Her efforts soon pay off, and Integrity’s following begins to rise dramatically. However, privy to its inside workings, there are many revelations in store. She gets to see the party’s hypocrisy and the false promises that it repeatedly makes. She also discovers that Integrity gets its funding from smugglers, traffickers, fraudsters and racketeers. It makes her realise that in politics, like in life, one has to make compromises, and the ends often justify the means.
Saif also begins to have an illicit affair with Ruby, which becomes her “delicious secret”. At different points in time, several well-meaning friends and acquaintances make her question—and doubt—the work that she is doing. But Ruby manages to convince herself otherwise, remaining loyal to Integrity. Things finally come to a head when her best friend—a journalist—writes an article maligning and exposing Saif. It is then that Ruby has to choose between reality and her so-called ‘integrity’ to a corrupt party. Not only does she pick the truth, but also speaks up and shares her #MeToo story publicly as an open letter from an anonymous account.
London-based Pakistani writer Moni Mohsin’s crisp writing analyses the huge class distinctions that exist in Pakistani society. In these volatile times, the book highlights social media strategies that political parties habitually employ to make impressions on the public—thus, deciding the fate of entire nations. The book also underlines the dangers of social media outrage, online lynch mobs and trolls: “It was a wild, vicious place, social media, patrolled by zealots, psychos and delinquents who showed zero mercy to the naïve.”