An eye-opening novel, though not one for the faint of heart.
Summary:
Zeba is an Afghan mother of four young children and now a suspected murderess. She’s been found with her husband’s blood all over her hands and refuses to give any explanation. The villagers take it as an open-and-shut case, but everyone knows what kind of man Kamal was. When an ex-pat American lawyer comes to take her case, he realizes nothing is as it seems. But how will he convince the judicial system so set in its ways to look closer at just one of the many women criminals housed in the women’s prison Chil Matabh? And as Zeba hears more stories off injustices from her fellow prisoners, she finds she may be able to help them. Life inside a cell wall may be safer and freer than the outside world.
Verdict: 7/10
Nadia Hashimi is a wonderful writer on a culture that doesn’t get highlighted much in literature. I read another one of her books in college (I recommend “The Pearl That Broke It’s Shell” as well, though I think I liked this read a bit more) and liked her style and tone.
Hashimi does a fantastic job of immersing you in the culture of the Middle East, both the good and the bad, the ugliness and the beauty in the country and its people.
The book focuses on the heart in heartbreak and how horrible situations and injustices against women so ingrained in a culture can be surpassed and turned into something new and wonderful. Hashimi is so good at weaving together characters with varying viewpoints and timelines with many flashbacks.
In many ways I would compare her style to that of Jodi Picoult, who can take equally heavy or complex topics and turn them into compelling narratives... However, like Picoult, I can’t read too much of work at one time.
My preference has always been towards fantasy, and though I thoroughly enjoy realistic fiction and nonfiction, serious themes such as sexism and rape are not ones that I can read about for hours on end. Much of the novel centers around the women in the prison who are put there for trivial reasons, especially for the crime of zina or sexual immorality. These can vary from nothing more than rumors about their infidelity or refusing to marry someone three times their age to running away from an abusive husband or even being the victim of sexual assault. That’s not to say that these tragedies are not interesting or important to talk about in both books and real life, but it’s not necessarily a book that I can pick up anytime I want. While it certainly kept me coming back to know what happens next, this isn't one that I would call binge-worthy. The reader should take their time to consider the subjects that Hashimi deals with as seriously as they deserve.
It’s deep and dark while still having light and heart-warming moments within. And the message is one that earned a spot on my shelf for thought-provoking fiction.
Since I did have to take my time with this one, some of the book seemed a bit more disjointed. This may not be a problem for those who can read straight through it. But to fully understand and appreciate the storylines and parallels of Zeba with her mother or her father or the other women, I had to re-familiarize myself with the names and situations of many. Regardless of length or depth, the amount of detail and well-done storytelling is something I can always admire.
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