I read my first book by Nadia Hashimi in 2021, Sparks Like Stars. This was actually a pretty enjoyable reading experience. I still had many books by this author on my TBR, but it took nearly three years before I picked up When the Moon is Low. Unfortunately, that was not such a good reading experience whereas I struggled getting through this. The Pearl that Broke its Shell has been on my TBR since 2021 actually, but after my previous reading experience I decided to wait a little while. Now it was finally the time to pick it up.

About the book

The Pearl That Broke Its Shell by Nadia Hashimi
Published by William Morrow on May 6, 2014
Pages: 464
ISBN: 9780062244758
Genres: Adult, General fiction, Historical fiction, Literary fiction
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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?

My review

Expectations

I was a little nervous when picking up this book and not without reason. My previous reading experience wasn’t so great, much to my dismay and I least of all expected this. I therefore was a bit nervous, because The Pearl that broke its Shell is Hashimi’s debut whilst my les enjoyable reading adventure was with her sophomore novel. I’m glad that this nervosity wasn’t necessary at all, because I flew through this book in a breeze.

Characters

As this novel is crisscrossing in time, we have a dual POV narration. This has been done really well. Both Rahima and Shekiba are elaborated in depth. Their struggles, fears and desires are well put on paper and therefore very tangible. Even though their stories are separated by a century, it’s clearly visible that nothing has changed overtime. Both women have a desire to live in freedom, and both are facing the boundaries their culture puts on women. They fight back with everything they have in them which is remarkable considering the consequences. Both women are locked into their small world and are seen as objects who must give birth to as many children as possible rather than real people of flesh and blood with feelings. Both wish to be men in order to experience much more freedom. Even though both timelines are set when the Taliban wasn’t governing Afghanistan, culture and tradition dictate Rahima’s and Shekiba’s life.

Plot

Although the plot is quite predictable, it made me feel all the emotions. Mostly anger because of the narrow-minded thoughts on women. These women are seen as objects rather than people of flesh and blood with feelings and emotions. I just can’t believe that this treatment is still custom to this day. Rahima’s timeline is set in 2007. Can you believe this?! This was after the US (and other countries) had strong foot in Afghanistan – which is actually visible in Kabul. The fact that rural Afghanistan seems to be – and maybe still is? – behind is clearly visible. But still, this is no excuse for the poor treatment these women face. My blood was boiling most of the time, especially in the interactions between Rahima, Shekiba and the main surrounding them. I was mad at the husbands for the way they treated their wives. The custom of polygamy is something I can’t imagine at all as this is not common in Western society. I doubt if it’s even legal. The same applies to the custom of bacha posh, I can’t imagine women need to appear as a boy in order to gain freedom to certain extend. Till they are of marriable age this is. I remember reading about it once in a middle-grade novel more than 20 years ago (I think after the start of the Afghan war in 2001/2002), but it’s not touched upon often. Even though the title partially gives the ending away, it’s the intriguing way to this ending that makes the book this particular book. Despite its clear structure and predictability. I was sucked into it from start to finish, I wanted to figure out how everything would go down for these characters. My only point of critique is the ending, this feels a little rushed after the emotional ride the rest of the book has been.

Writing

If I didn’t find out that this is Hashimi’s debut, I wouldn’t have believed it. This author’s talent and potential is already shining through. The writing is straight forward and easy to follow, despite the heavy topics that are being discussed. The dual timeline narrative has been executed well. The switch is clearly indicated which makes this way of storytelling not confusing at all. I was able to fly through this novel in a breeze, which definitely has to do with the plot and characters as well, but the writing is mostly responsible for this.

Final thoughts

Reading The Pearl That Broke Its Shell by Nadia Hashimi has been long overdue, but I’m glad I finally picked it up. Again, I have to ask myself the question why on earth I’ve been waiting so long, but once again, I don’t have an answer. This is this author’s debut, and the potential already shines through. The writing is straight forward and easy to follow, which made me fly through this book pretty fast. The characters are elaborated in depth, so is the plot. Despite the predictability and the ending partially being given away by the title, it made me feel all the emotions. It’s the journey of main characters Rahima and Shekiba towards that ending that counts. Speaking of which, the ending itself feels a little rushed after the way the rest of the novel has been build up and executed. I always have a soft spot for a dual timeline narrative, and this has been done really well here. Both timelines are interesting, not just the one in the past. Are you looking for a book to diversify your reading and that discusses customs we can’t even begin to imagine in Western society, this novel will be right up your alley.