The Pearl that Broke Its Shell: A Novel

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Now for the writing. The writing was kind of rough and in other places it was almost poetic. The author relied heavily on dialog, which isn't such a bad thing. I love great dialog. But it wasn't enough to carry the entire book. In my review of the story portion of this book, I compared it to And the Mountains Echoed because of the similar theme on the tragedy scale, but the writing in this book was no where near as wonderful and descriptive as Khaled Hosseini's. I would read his work again in a heart beat. I don't feel that for this book. The writing was just, "meh". Shekiba is the victim of a society where women are judged almost exclusively on their worth as wives and mothers of sons and she was discriminated alongside her crippled father. “The clan did not want to be associated with them and the village had no interest in a scarred old man or his even more scarred daughter-son” (Hashimi 17). Rahib, on the other hand, suffered the fate of being married off at a young age. These characters are gradually developping as the plot progresses so the reader can appreciate the similarity of their struggles and empathize with each as she tries to hang on to the freedom that men take for granted. Themes I've always been equally fascinated and horrified by the struggles and lives of afghan women and how they continue on as bravely as they can in the face of horrible injustices. Here is an assignment if you read this. Every time these women have something good in their life, just say, "uh-oh!" And I kid you not, it will be ripped away from them. If you are looking for a warm fuzzy, this book is not it. Or if you like a big red bow to tie things up in the end, then this book may not be the one for you. Even with all the sadness, I would give the story 4 stars.

For Rahima, life with her new husband --- a warlord infamous throughout the region --- is anything but comfortable. Though she’s surrounded by opulence, her duties as his fourth wife resemble those of a baby machine and slave. She soon bears him a son, but to a limited reprieve, and it’s all Rahima can do make it through the day and avoid punishment, especially after Parwin sets herself on fire in protest. Shekiba's plan is ruined when one evening, Fatima, one of the women of the harem, falls ill. As the other women attempt to move Fatima into Benafsha's room, the girls discover that Benafsha has been having an affair when they see a man's hat lying haphazardly on the floor. Ghafoor goes to tell the king while the other women look after Fatima. Upon her return, she brings the news that the king has asked for Shekiba. These are the stories of two women,a century apart. Both are compelling and it's good to see that after all the hardship they have to endure,there's hope.Afghan-American Nadia Hashimi’s literary debut novel is a searing tale of powerlessness, fate, and the freedom to control one’s own fate that combines the cultural flavor and emotional resonance of the works of Khaled Hosseini, Jhumpa Lahiri, and Lisa See. In Kabul, 2007, with a drug-addicted father and no brothers, Rahima and her sisters can only sporadically attend school, and can rarely leave the house. Their only hope lies in the ancient custom of bacha posh, which allows young Rahima to dress and be treated as a boy until she is of marriageable age. As a son, she can attend school, go to the market, and chaperone her older sisters. But Rahima is not the first in her family to adopt this unusual custom. A century earlier, her great-great grandmother, Shekiba, left orphaned by an epidemic, saved herself and built a new life the same way. Crisscrossing in time, The Pearl the Broke Its Shell interweaves the tales of these two women separated by a century who share similar destinies. But what will happen once Rahima is of marriageable age? Will Shekiba always live as a man? And if Rahima cannot adapt to life as a bride, how will she survive? The Pearl that Broke Its Shell by Nadia Hashimi – eBook Details Rahima is a young girl with four sisters, all of whom want to attend school but aren't allowed to as instructed by their father. As a semi-solution, Rahima's Khala Shaima, her mother's sister, recommends that Rahima become a bacha posh, or a girl dressed as a boy, so that she may attend school as well as run errands for the family. E esta é a história de duas bacha posh que se bateram pela liberdade — arriscaram, sofreram, lutaram, e transitaram da Sobrevivência para a Vida!...

But Rahima is not the first in her family to adopt this unusual custom. A century earlier, her great-aunt, Shekiba, left orphaned by an epidemic, saved herself and built a new life the same way. I haven't found a book by Nadia Hashimi that I haven't liked. Maybe it is because I have a preference or fondness toward fiction set in the Middle East or maybe it is because Nadia Hashimi woos me in such a way with her writing, that it is impossible for me to put a book by her down. But Rahima is not the first in her family to adopt this unusual custom. A century earlier, her great-great-grandmother Shekiba, left orphaned by an epidemic, saved herself and built a new life in the same way—the change took her on a journey from the deprivation of life in a rural village to the opulence of a king's palace in the bustling metropolis of Kabul. Rahima meets the other wives' children. Hashmat is Badriya's son, and he is about Rahima's age. When the two meet, they recognize each other from when Rahima was a bacha posh. She is embarrassed, and at the same time missing that time in her life. Rahima is treated as a servant for Badriya and her mother-in-law, who regularly treats her like an embarrassment to the compound. Rahima herself became Rahim, a bacha posh, when her mother could not produce a son and it was decided that Rahima had to act as the boy in the family. Although it made their life easier, it also allowed Rahima a freedom of movement no other girl ever enjoyed. It planted the seed of her eventual decision to break free and fly away, like the birds in her sister, Parwin's paintings. But it also created the situation in which her whole life would become a tale devoid of poetry and prose in her new husband's house.She went on to obtain her medical degree from SUNY Downstate. She completed her pediatric training at NYU/Bellevue hospitals in New York City. Shekiba envies the women of the harem: “At least they belonged to someone. At least they had someone to care for them, to look after them.” Do you think the King’s concubines live an enviable life? Are they better or worse off than women who live outside the palace walls? What do you make of Shekiba and Rahima’s experiences with their husbands’ other wives? Are they helped or harmed by them? Could you adapt to that kind of married life? So it was time for Rahima (the youngest of the girls) having a short haircut, trade the burka for trousers, and reborn Rahim, the aimed son and brother, who could lead the family to salvation!.. Porém, há aquelas que se negam a uma vida bivalve — partem a concha e rolam, permitindo-se um raio de luz nas suas vidas, doutra forma, enegrecidas 😊

I was not impressed by the writing and the dialog did not seem to add anything to the story. It could have been an ok read, maybe more, but I did not have the patience. I can read a book where the writing does not appeal to me if the plot is addictive but it was not the case here. But I kept on reading and the story got better and better. I was soon totally engrossed and found it hard to put down. Therefore, this article discusses the role and contribution of a few Afghan women who used their writing as a weapon to voice out their struggle. Western Feminist writers have highlighted the significance of women’s writing. French feminist critic, Helene Cixous explains about the need of women’s writing. In Laugh of Medusa, she asserts that, “Woman must write herself: must write about women and bring women to writing….Woman must put herself into the text- as into the world and into history- by her own movement” (875). Afghan women writers use their writing to convey awareness of the tragic situation and subjugation that they go through in their respective societies. Further, through writing these women writers also motivate women for their change and improvement. Johnson, Ted (2018-01-20). "Women's March DC: Trump Calls It a 'Perfect Day,' Protesters Say He's 'Got to Go' ". Variety . Retrieved 2018-02-26. The culture allows boys to make choices in their lives and even go to school while girls can only do so at the pleasure and convenience of their male relatives (Hashimi 73). In the historical exposition, the reader sees how Shaima was discriminated because of her deformity. “The clan did not want to be associated with them and the village had no interest in a scarred old man or his even more scarred daughter-son” (Hashimi 20). Even worse, Shekiba, who lost her looks in a freak accident as an infant is dehumanized, and regularly insulted, proving that in this particular society, women are only as good as their beauty. “Her cousins came up with twisted names for her. “Shola face,” as her skin resembled lumpy rice” (Hashimi 17). ConclusionSimilarly, Rahima dressed as a boy so that she will have opportunities to work outside. She loved the freedom that made her go to school, play in the ground, and gave her chances to enjoy her life without any trouble. Bacha posh is the oldest tradition followed by Afghan people, thereby allowing girls to dress up as boys until they get married. Even though Rahima enjoyed her freedom for a very short period time, her father made her get married to an older wealthy man. Rahima is his fourth wife. He married her only for begetting a child. Though she married an older man, Rahima is comfortable with him and delivered a baby boy. Later on, she was forced to live for her husband and her kid. This made her to quit the needs that she wanted to do in her life. She expressed her anger as: “What am I supposed to do? Clearly, this is what Allah has chosen as their naseeb-Oh, the hell with naseeb! Naseeb is what people blame for everything they can’t fix (Hashimi, 139).” Conclusion When Bibi Gulalai opens up to Rahima about her own abusive mother-in-law, Rahima thinks “In other circumstances, I might have told Bibi Gulalai that I understood, that I could sympathize with her.” Does Bibi Gulalai’s revelation change the way you see her? What inspires or empowers the cruelty of older women like her and Shekiba’s grandmother, Bobo Shahgul? The horrors women endured from other women was something I haven't read much about. It seems that instead of lifting each other up, for the most part they are tearing each other down to gain even the smallest bit of power...so sad! I thought,this is yet another story about the miseries of Afghan women and I have read plenty of this sort of stuff before.