How should I convince you to read this book? Just read it! Will it do?
It is hard to put down into words how satisfying this read was. It’s a remarkable, thoughtful, and powerful book that deserves to be on your shelf. A must-read book, if it is what you call for the book that should be read.
A Woman is No Man observes the stories of three generations of Palestinian Arab American women of the same family- Deya, Isra, and Fareeda. Fareeda, an Arab immigrant from Palestine, migrated to America for a better living along with the hold of strident perception of their culture. Isra, Fareeda’s daughter-in-law, also comes to America after her marriage to Fareeda’s eldest son Adam. Even though being abused since childhood, she holds a slight hope of getting love from her relationship only to find later that everything she hoped was a lie. And Deya, Isra’s daughter, finds herself in her mother’s place and strives to break out from the terrible fate her mother was in.
My favorite character was Sara, Fareeda’s daughter; for, she was fierce and brave enough to refuse to accept the fate of the women that rigorously passed on from one generation of women to the next.
Etaf Rum’s characters- Sara, Isra, and Deya loved reading. They continuously tried to find courage from their fictional characters and to escape from their terrible realities.
Rum’s storytelling made me loved this book. The narration flows so effortlessly from one perspective to another, especially Isra’s point of view, and the riddle of her fate compelled me to turn the page after page. It was so hard to put down this book.
Have you happened to read this book? Or thinking of it lately?
Do share your thoughts in the comments below.
-Harshita
Title: A Woman is No Man
Author: Etaf Rum
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publishing Date: March 2019
My Rating: 5 stars
Links: Goodreads Instagram Twitter Facebook
