Hello and welcome to this alotusgirl blog post. Today we are going to review The pearl that broke its shell a novel written by Nadia Hashimi.

About the author:

“Nadia Hashimi (born December 12, 1977) is a pediatrician, novelist, and a former Democratic congressional candidate for the United States House of Representatives for Maryland’s 6th congressional district. 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.”

The pearl that broke its shell a novel

The pearl that broke its shell :Novel’s background

In 2014, Nadia Hashimi presented an elaborate and very touching international novel, the pearl that broke its shell. Before we discuss the subject of the novel, it is worth mentioning that the novel takes place in Afghanistan, that is, a country known for its long history in persecuting women’s rights and freedoms. The girl was prevented from education and leaving the house. Girls have always been considered as a source of scandal and shame. So the reader won’t be surprised by knowing the existence of an ancient Afghan tradition, “Basha Bush”. This tradition is practiced in a house that doesn’t contain male children. So a girl is selected and transformed into a Basha Bush, meaning she is made to wear male clothing so her external appearance looks like a male. She is also treated as a boy, meaning she enjoys all the freedom that was previously deprived of her, such as education, playing in the streets… She is also allowed to help her family financially through work.

The pearl that broke its shell: Characters

This is what happens to Rahima, one of the novel’s heroes, the middle girl in a family that includes 5 girls without a male child. Although she enjoys her freedom as Basha Bush, custom requires that she return to her identity as a girl and marry after reaching a specific age. Rahima shares the suffering of all women in that society. Where the girl’s relationship with her family is cut off after marriage, and her main job in her husband’s house is as a maid.

We also follow in an older timeline, that is, the era of monarchy in Afghanistan, the story of Shakiba, who is the second heroine of the novel and also Rahima’s great-grandmother. Even in that era, women were persecuted, and it was considered normal to execute them in the street. Shakiba also has a sad story. She buried her mother and siblings after cholera killed them. Shakiba lived with her father, who lost the desire to live after losing his children and wife. She, in turn, was made Basha Bush, what did not seem unusual because her face was disfigured by burns when she was a child.

The novel The Pearl Who Broke Its Shell is not for weak hearts to read, and the word “enjoyment” when reading it is not appropriate, so the best word is “touched”. However, I believe that reading the novel, despite its realism, is necessary to know what the women of that part of the world go through.

Resources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nadia_Hashimi

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