The Pearl That Broke Its Shell by
Nadia Hashimi
Rahima’s family is in need of a
man. Her father is either away from home
or his mind is clouded with opium. Her
mother and three sisters are not allowed to roam the streets unaccompanied even
though it is 2007 in Afghanistan. So her
family decides to make Rahima into Rahim.
This is the custom known as bacha
posh; a girl wears pants and cuts her hair and exists as a boy until she
becomes of marriageable age.
Rahim/Rahima learns that she was not the first in her family to be a bacha posh, her great-great-grandmother
was as well, and she was a guard of the king’s harem in Kabul. Things go well for both bacha posh living their lives as men until they have to wear skirts
and become women again.
If you are looking for an uplifting
story where women overcome adversity then only read the first half of the
book. The freedom these women experience
as boys and men is thrilling to them and therefore to the reader as well. This makes their transition back to being
women, having their new found freedom snatched from them, heartbreaking and
devastating. While neither character
(their narratives told in alternating chapters) dies, I can’t say they are
living either for their lives are not their own. This is realistic fiction, and even though I
adore dark books, this one was too sad for my taste.
This novel is an eye-opening glimpse
into life in Afghanistan and how the modern world is being held at arm’s length
by many in Kabul.
