The Pearl that Broke Its Shell: A Novel

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Ms. Franklin has set up Rahima with a local woman's shelter, where she feels safe and secure away from Abdul Khaliq. Rahima writes to Khala Shaima, whose visits have been lessening in recent months due to Khala Shaima's ill health. Rahima writes of blue skies and singing birds, and she signs it, "Bibi Shekiba." Crisscrossing in time, The Pearl the Broke Its Shell interweaves the tales of these two women separated by a century who share similar destinies. Hashimi is the author of three international bestselling novels, The Pearl that Broke Its Shell, When the Moon Is Low, and A House Without Windows. Há um século atrás, Shekiba, a trisavó das raparigas, trabalhara incansável ao lado do pai — executava todos os trabalhos pesados e lavrava a terra. Tornara-se forte, musculada e espadaúda que nem um rapaz. Transformara-se em Shekib — o filho que o pai almejara...

This is the story of Rahima and Shekiba. Rahima is our main storyteller, who became a child bride at the age of thirteen, and, together with her two older sisters, Shahla and Parwin, were sold into marriage by their father on the same day. Her life would be riddled with everything an Afghani woman could encounter as part of the cultural practices in their families. The picturesque prose would relate a story of fear, oppression, abuse, love, hope and freedom. Her aunt, Khala Shaima, crippled and man-less, became her mainstay with the ongoing narrative she told her nieces about their great-great-great grandmother, Shekiba, who worked as a girl-man guard to the king's harem a century earlier. Rahima is struggling with a drug addict father and the traditional structure of Afghani society, which prohibits her from leaving home without a male family member. As such, Rahima and her sisters rarely leave the house, even for school. Her aunt Khala Shaima hopes to help Rahima by telling her the story of Shekiba, who dealt with many of the same issues that Rahima faces by using an ancient custom, bacha posh, which enabled her to get around the restrictions placed on Afghani girls. Bacha posh allows female children to become sons whereas they are dressed and treated as boys until they reach marriageable age. Khala Shaima uses the story of Shekiba to teach Rahima not only how to be a bacha posh but to impart to her niece something different than the traditional role of women, rather, she tells a story of empowerment and strength. 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. Despite my interest in this story and its message, as well as my appreciation of the storyline itself, I have to admit to feeling distanced from the two main characters Shekiba and Rahima. I think this was largely due to the expository style of the writing (so many portions of the story would have played out well as scenes – and would really have created empathy between reader and character). Even so, the story is what kept me reading. Despite not being as close as I’d hoped with the characters, as a woman, I could empathize with the main characters, root for them, and care about them enough to be concerned bout their fates. 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.

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Rahima says of her sister Parwin: “In some ways, I think she was the bravest of all. She, my meek and timid sister, was the one who acted in the end. She was the one who showed those around her that she’d had enough of their abuse. As Khala Shaima said, everyone needed a way to escape.” Do you agree? 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. The Pearl That Broke Its Shell is a truly riveting account that highlights the struggles and oppression that Afghani women have suffered for centuries. The novel brilliantly presents the life of Rahima, a modern Afghani girl, interwoven with the life of her great-great-grandmother, Shekiba, a century earlier. a b Martin, Kimmery (August 19, 2016). "An Interview with Nadia Hashimi, author of A House Without Windows". Kimmery Martin | Writer, Book Reviewer, Professional Literary Nerd . Retrieved 2017-10-28.

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'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. Rahima bears a son, whom she names Jahangir. The fact that he is a boy keeps Abdul Khaliq's beatings to a minimum, however they are not absent. Rahima believes Abdul Khaliq cares special for Jahangir, since she sees Abdul Khaliq having special moments with Jahangir that he does not seem to have with his other sons. Hashimi is also known for her book Sparks Like Stars, which was released in 2021. [8] Political career [ edit ]

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? To think that there are woman out there that have to endure what Rahima and Shekiba went through is the part that angered me. To know that this occurs while I am living the life of luxury also humbled me and made me thankful for what I have. This story opened my eyes to some of the "ugly" things out there in the world. To think that you have no real value because you are a daughter instead of a son. In my reality that would have made my father a failure as he had three daughters - who have all gone on to successful and fulfilling endeavours I might add. Shekiba loses her mother and siblings to a national wave of cholera, and then soon thereafter her father to extreme despair. Shekiba continues tending her family's land, eventually looking like a man due to the hard physical labor she does. Months after her father dies, Shekiba's extended family takes over Shekiba and the land, making her their servant. Eventually they give her as a gift to fulfill a debt, and she becomes another family's servant.

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When Rahima begins her life as Abdul Khaliq's fourth wife, she faces jealousy from his other wives. Since she is new and young, Abdul Khaliq calls on her more often than the other wives. She is terrified, but she obeys his and his mother's every command, for fear of severe reprimands, though beatings become a regular part of her life. As a bacha posh, Rahima feels free being able to wear pants and joke around with boys her age. She is only uncomfortable when she's approached by older men in the street when she is running errands. In fact, Abdul Khaliq is one of the men who has his eye on Rahima when she is a bacha posh. However, she stays a bacha posh longer than is traditionally accepted, thus angering her father, who is an opiate addict who barely pays attention to his family but is still easily shamed by any inappropriate behavior by his daughters and/or wife. Do you believe that Rahima and Shekiba’s stories end happily? What do you think became of them in the years after this book ends? 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 😊