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n_asyikin_'s review
challenging
dark
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A gripping story told from multiple perspectives at two different time frame: one from the past, the other is the present, separated by a decade.
The story is infuriating & heartbreaking, exploring the formation & subsequent results of the normalization of violence against women, subsisted by a patriarchical system.
Rum explored the aspects of oppression against girl/womenhood through an intergenerational perspectives from three separate characters, depicting how one may caught in, & even maintained, the cycle of abuse.
The characters & the lives they observed were difficult to read through. Even the well-meaning characters, at time, showing maladaptive approaches through a problem. Although I admired Sarah's courage shown through her quiet rebellion & subsequent escape; I thought her approach towards her niece was too heavy-handed for a child. Also, might placed too much onus on Deya; my thought was Sarah projected a lot of her issues onto her niece instead of providing greater guidance to empower her.
That being said, I think Rum intended for us readers to see the complication that is the human mind. One thing that I thought it highlighted well was the weight that a sense of belongliness could carry, particularly with how deeply ingrained sociocultural roots could be.
At times, I was discomfitted by how it seemed there was a tendency to excuse the characters' abuses as being a "cultural product", but the insertion of other side characters (friends of Fareeda) from the same community & their slightly varied way of living added contrast, aside from Fareeda's own awareness of her wrongdoings. These contrasting scenes, contrasting thoughts & actions, provided depth to the storytelling.
Rum's writing will have you emotionally invested; she did so in a way that was effortless. Anger was a dominant reaction I experienced reading this, but there was an undertone of sadness, & even admiration. All these I felt especially strongly towards Isra. I just wished she could've enjoyed her freedom; to see how she had inspired her daughter to achieve her own.
The story is infuriating & heartbreaking, exploring the formation & subsequent results of the normalization of violence against women, subsisted by a patriarchical system.
Rum explored the aspects of oppression against girl/womenhood through an intergenerational perspectives from three separate characters, depicting how one may caught in, & even maintained, the cycle of abuse.
The characters & the lives they observed were difficult to read through. Even the well-meaning characters, at time, showing maladaptive approaches through a problem. Although I admired Sarah's courage shown through her quiet rebellion & subsequent escape;
That being said, I think Rum intended for us readers to see the complication that is the human mind. One thing that I thought it highlighted well was the weight that a sense of belongliness could carry, particularly with how deeply ingrained sociocultural roots could be.
At times, I was discomfitted by how it seemed there was a tendency to excuse the characters' abuses as being a "cultural product", but the insertion of other side characters (friends of Fareeda) from the same community & their slightly varied way of living added contrast, aside from Fareeda's own awareness of her wrongdoings. These contrasting scenes, contrasting thoughts & actions, provided depth to the storytelling.
Rum's writing will have you emotionally invested; she did so in a way that was effortless. Anger was a dominant reaction I experienced reading this, but there was an undertone of sadness, & even admiration. All these I felt especially strongly towards Isra.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, and Blood