A FLAT PLACE: Moving Through Empty Landscapes, Naming Complex Trauma, a book by Noreen Masud, explores the concept of trauma through the lens of five English and Scottish landscapes – the Cambridgeshire fens, the shingle promontory of Orford Ness, the tidal flats of Morecambe Bay, the Town Moor in Newcastle, and the islands of Orkney. Masud, who teaches 20th-century literature at the University of Bristol, draws parallels between flat landscapes and her sense of disconnection, rooted in a childhood spent in Pakistan under the conditions of near-total separation from society. With nostalgia for her homeland impossible, Masud sets out to uncover a terrestrial explanation for her own sense of desolation, making an unexpected discovery along the way.
Masud muses on the appeal of flatlands and their unpredictability – while a lack of surprises can be comforting, they highlight one’s hyper-awareness of oneself and curb any sense of liberty with danger. As we journey through these solitary landscapes with Masud, it becomes clear that the true objective of her quest is to answer the question “What am I looking for?” Masud approaches her quest with a degree of skepticism and restraint, recognizing that a pilgrimage to a healing spring holds no guarantee for relief.
Masud’s memories of Lahore, a landscape seen from afar during a childhood spent in isolation, haunt her and underpin the narrative of the book. However, as she traverses the British Isles, she finds herself out of options as the very land is cemented by the blood of racial injustice. Morecambe Bay, a site of tragedy, where more than 21 Chinese cockle-pickers drowned, serves as a poignant example of disregard for human life.
Masud’s personal experiences with complex post-traumatic stress disorder contribute to the book’s over-arching message and her search for a cure. Her travels highlight and emphasize the all-encompassing nature of trauma – the true “place of trauma, of lack, of pain” is not necessarily linked to a physical location. Exile is a theme that runs throughout the book – a place that is neither home nor away, but a “nowhere” in between. Masud acknowledges the inherent difficulties in seeking solace through a quest of this nature – there is no guarantee of success. Her story is a reminder of the universality of trauma and the often-futile search for a cure.
William Atkins is the author of “The Moor: A Journey Into the English Wilderness,” “The Immeasurable World: A Desert Journey” and, most recently, “Exiles: Three Island Journeys.”
A FLAT PLACE: Moving Through Empty Landscapes, Naming Complex Trauma by Noreen Masud is a 227-page book published by Melville House in paperback for $19.99.
