The Pearl That Broke Its Shell

by Hashimi, Nadia
ISBN: 9780062244765
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Overview

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.

In Kabul, 2007, with a drug-addicted father and no brothers, Rahima and her sisters can only sporadically attend school, and can rarely leave the house. Their only hope lies in the ancient custom of bacha posh, which allows young Rahima to dress and be treated as a boy until she is of marriageable age. As a son, she can attend school, go to the market, and chaperone her older sisters.

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.

Crisscrossing in time, The Pearl the Broke Its Shell interweaves the tales of these two women separated by a century who share similar destinies. But what will happen once Rahima is of marriageable age? Will Shekiba always live as a man? And if Rahima cannot adapt to life as a bride, how will she survive?

  • Format: TradePaperback
  • Author: Hashimi, Nadia
  • ISBN: 9780062244765
  • Condition: Used
  • Dimensions: 7.72 x 0.78
  • Number Of Pages: 480
  • Publication Year: 2015

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  • A powerful, uplifting story.

    Kristen B. - 1 year 5 months ago

    In modern day Afghanistan, Rahima is a young girl living with her family. Her father is a drug addict and because she has no brothers her family has no male presence to do the things that only males can do in their society. So Rahima takes a big step and becomes a bacha posh, or a young girl who dresses and acts as a boy to be the needed male presence in the family. Rahima then learns that she is not the first in her family to be a bacha posh. Her great-great grandmother, Shekiba, also dressed as a boy, but for different reasons. Rahima and Shekiba's stories are intertwined throughout the book, giving a very realistic and hard view of Afghanistan during the 1800s as well as in the early 2000s. The Pearl That Broke Its Shell is a fascinating look into a society and culture that could not be more different than my own in the United States. It is a great reminder that there are terrible injustices in this world, but that women can still overcome them. Both Rahima and Shekiba learn that they are in control of their destiny, which gives this great novel a powerful, uplifting ending.

    HPB Staff Review