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thesapphiccelticbookworm's review
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
4.5
Thank you to Netgalley and Ad Lib Publishers for a copy of this book to review.
Bekhal Mahmod, originally from Iraqi Kurdistan. Due to her family and culture, she and her sisters had a horrifically abusive childhood. She ran away at 15 instead of facing an arranged marriage to her cousin. This act of defiance caused to father to 'lose respect' within the Kurdish community, she became a target of an 'honour killing' and her younger sisters Banaz and Payzee were quickly married off. Banaz later left her abusive husband so her father and uncle arranged her murder. Bekhal became the first woman in British legal history to testify against her family in an honour killing trial. She now lives in the witness protection program and is always looking over her shoulder.
This was not an easy read Bekhal and her sisters' childhood was brutal and oppressive. Her anger at many of her family members and of her misogynistic culture seeps off the page. This made me so anger for Mekhal, for Banaz, for all the women in the world who've gone through this bullshit, and still do.
This is a very important story to get out there. The world needs to hear the true horrors of what life is like for some women in cultures like this.
Bekhal Mahmod, originally from Iraqi Kurdistan. Due to her family and culture, she and her sisters had a horrifically abusive childhood. She ran away at 15 instead of facing an arranged marriage to her cousin. This act of defiance caused to father to 'lose respect' within the Kurdish community, she became a target of an 'honour killing' and her younger sisters Banaz and Payzee were quickly married off. Banaz later left her abusive husband so her father and uncle arranged her murder. Bekhal became the first woman in British legal history to testify against her family in an honour killing trial. She now lives in the witness protection program and is always looking over her shoulder.
This was not an easy read Bekhal and her sisters' childhood was brutal and oppressive. Her anger at many of her family members and of her misogynistic culture seeps off the page. This made me so anger for Mekhal, for Banaz, for all the women in the world who've gone through this bullshit, and still do.
This is a very important story to get out there. The world needs to hear the true horrors of what life is like for some women in cultures like this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Cursing, Hate crime, Incest, Rape, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Racial slurs, Suicide, Islamophobia, and Pregnancy