4 Stars
Sixteen-year-old Abida falls in love with Kalim and becomes pregnant. The penalty for pregnancy outside of marriage, as designated by the traditional tribal council of her small rural Pakistani village, is death. Abida is able to escape to Lahore with her lover where she hopes for a better life. Lahore, however, is not a haven, rife as it is with poverty, the drug and sex trades, violence, and institutional corruption. When Abida’s family stops hearing from her, her father Jamil sets off to find her, but he too faces dangers. Will he be able to find Abida and keep her safe?
The novel provides two alternating perspectives, that of Abida and that of her father. Because of this narrative structure, the reader knows what has happened to Abida; as her situation becomes more dire, the reader wonders whether Jamil will be able to rescue her. The level of suspense becomes almost unbearable at times.
Abida is a dynamic character. At sixteen years of age, she behaves like a typical teenager in many respects. For instance, she whines, “It was as if she had been born to be a slave, to work without any reward. She didn’t dare admit it to herself, but there were times when she wished her family dead, just so she could finally be free.” Like many adolescents, she rebels and lets her passions overrule her reason. Her experiences teach her how love, courage, and hope will help her survive.
Jamil also changes, and his transformation is heartwarming. Though raised by a strong, independent mother, he quietly follows the dictates of the judgmental, misogynistic society in which he lives. He even occasionally shakes his wife if she irritates him in some way. He does however have difficulty accepting that he must allow his daughter to die in order to restore his family honour. The possible loss of his beloved firstborn child gives him the strength and courage to stand up against age-old prejudices. He decides that love matters more than honour.
The book is not flawless. Kalim’s change, for instance, seems to happen very quickly. Even his wife is confused: at one point, she thinks about “his gradual transformation” but then later she concludes he “had withered right in front of her eyes, quickly turning into a monster.” Then there’s a man who wants to marry a woman he has never seen? The explanation given is that “’Sahab has been interested in you for quite some time. Ever since Apa Ji told him about you.’” Given the woman’s situation, wouldn’t Sahab have made a point of meeting her beforehand? A drug lord who routinely bribes the police would worry more about being arrested for adultery than for selling drugs?
These weaknesses, however, are minor when compared to the novel’s strengths. It sheds light on the oppressive treatment of girls and women in societies which consider females valueless. The reader cannot but be emotionally engaged. Anyone who is not angered or saddened by what happens to Abida and other women is heartless. And the description of Shah Doli’s Rats is horrifying and heart-breaking.
This novel is so relevant. The practices described continue to this day; despite legal reforms, honour killings continue in Pakistan because it is a patriarchal society and police and prosecutors often ignore such murders. And Pakistan is not the only country which has seen this practice: it is estimated that 5,000 honour killings occur around the world each year. Even liberal countries like Canada have had instances of it. And as I write this review, Afghanistan, Pakistan’s neighbour, has fallen to the Taliban which bans women from education and employment and is notorious for violence against women.
This book is not an easy read; it is, to say the least, uncomfortable and unsettling. It should, however, be on everyone’s must-read list.
Note: I received a digital copy of this novel from Orenda Books in return for an honest review.
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