The Pearl that Broke Its Shell: A Novel

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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. In the process, she got strong muscles and a hard skin, just like any peasant male — Shekiba was turning into the boy her father needed so badly... Hashimi attended Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, where she obtained degrees in Middle Eastern Studies and Biology. [6] A century ago, Bibi Shekiba, the great-great-grandmother of the girls, worked the fields, side by side with her father.

The Pearl That Broke Its Shell," tells the story of a young girl in present day, Rahima. As she goes through various hardships, her Khala (aunt) Shaima tells Rahima the story of her great-great-grandmother, whose story bears resemblance to Rahima's. In the novel, Rahima's story is told in the present day; Shekiba's story is told as it happened in the late 1890s and early 1900s. Since the girls' stories are told concurrently, in this study guide, both stories are discussed in the present tense. This is the story of Rahima and Shekiba. Rahima is our main storyteller, who became a child bride at the age of thirteen, and, together with her two older sisters, Shahla and Parwin, were sold into marriage by their father on the same day. Her life would be riddled with everything an Afghani woman could encounter as part of the cultural practices in their families. The picturesque prose would relate a story of fear, oppression, abuse, love, hope and freedom. Her aunt, Khala Shaima, crippled and man-less, became her mainstay with the ongoing narrative she told her nieces about their great-great-great grandmother, Shekiba, who worked as a girl-man guard to the king's harem a century earlier. Afghan-American Nadia Hashimi's literary debut novel, The Pearl that Broke Its Shell 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. Despite my interest in this story and its message, as well as my appreciation of the storyline itself, I have to admit to feeling distanced from the two main characters Shekiba and Rahima. I think this was largely due to the expository style of the writing (so many portions of the story would have played out well as scenes – and would really have created empathy between reader and character). Even so, the story is what kept me reading. Despite not being as close as I’d hoped with the characters, as a woman, I could empathize with the main characters, root for them, and care about them enough to be concerned bout their fates. Rahima bears a son, whom she names Jahangir. The fact that he is a boy keeps Abdul Khaliq's beatings to a minimum, however they are not absent. Rahima believes Abdul Khaliq cares special for Jahangir, since she sees Abdul Khaliq having special moments with Jahangir that he does not seem to have with his other sons.

Summary of The Pearl That Broke its Shell by Nadia Hashimi by Instaread is a comprehensive examination of this novel, with an analysis of the main characters, their relationships, and the milieu that has set barriers to the self-actualization of Afghan women for generations. A great resource for any busy reader who would like to preview a book before buying, Instaread summaries are worthwhile investments.

I have a rule that I do not rate a book unless I read more than half and it is valid for this book as well. The rule does not mean that I will no write a my thoughts on the bit that I read. This story contains all the elements that make a book a winner: smells, tastes, colors, emotions, history, traditions, politics: everything a good book needs to become a great one! Rahima became so real that I wanted to write her a letter after closing the book! Although it is a fictional tale, written with such grace and integrity, it portrays enough of reality to leave the reader informed and wiser in the end. I simply loved this book. Rahima’s situation is near hopeless, but her son --- and the stories about her great-great-grandmother --- keep her going. Shekiba, too, faced inordinate hardship as a child. Half of her face was disfigured in an accident when she was a baby. After her family perished in a cholera epidemic, Shekiba was sold off by opportunistic relatives and became a different sort of bacha posh --- a servant for King Habibullah. Along with other women who dressed as men, she was tasked with watching over the king’s harem. But jealousy and secrets among the women ran rampant, and Shekiba was thrown in jail and nearly stoned for a crime she didn’t commit. Debut Afghan-American author Nadia Hashimi’s THE PEARL THAT BROKE ITS SHELL, the entwined stories of two Afghan women separated by a century who find freedom in the tradition of bacha posh, which allows girls to dress and live as boys…until they are of marriageable age.Still, it’s hard not to be inspired by the image we are left with at the end of the novel as Her Majesty Queen Soraya Tarzi, newly appointed education minister, lifts off her chador and says, “Do you think, however, that our nation from the outset needs only men to serve it? Women should also take their part as women did in the early years of our nation and Islam. From their examples we must learn that we must all contribute toward the development of our nation and this cannot be done without being equipped with knowledge.” I was a little girl and then I wasn't. I was a bacha posh and then I wasn't. I was a daughter and then I wasn't. I was a mother and then I wasn't.

For Rahima, life with her new husband --- a warlord infamous throughout the region --- is anything but comfortable. Though she’s surrounded by opulence, her duties as his fourth wife resemble those of a baby machine and slave. She soon bears him a son, but to a limited reprieve, and it’s all Rahima can do make it through the day and avoid punishment, especially after Parwin sets herself on fire in protest. Rahima is occasionally allowed to visit her sister Parwin, whom she notices seems unhappy. Khala Shaima is allowed to visit from time to time, which is how Rahima continues to hear Shekiba's story. The girls are not able to visit Shahla, since she lives much farther away. One day after Rahima thinks of visiting Parwin but puts it off due to her house duties, she finds out that Parwin has set herself on fire and died at the hospital. The Pearl That Broke Its Shell is a truly riveting account that highlights the struggles and oppression that Afghani women have suffered for centuries. The novel brilliantly presents the life of Rahima, a modern Afghani girl, interwoven with the life of her great-great-grandmother, Shekiba, a century earlier.Rahima and her sisters are devastated, but without a brother they have no one to chaperone them, no one to protect their honor, no one to discourage insults from other men. Rahima’s aunt has an idea and begins telling her stories about her great-aunt Shekiba, who was viciously taunted after her face was scarred by an accident with cooking oil. When her immediate family died of cholera, Shekiba was left to the mercy of her scheming relatives, who practically enslaved her and then traded her away to serve another family. Desperate for a measure of freedom, she seized upon the cultural practice of bacha posh, which enabled any family without a son to dress a daughter as a boy. Of course, even a bacha posh must return to being a girl once she reaches maturity. Nonetheless, Shekiba’s tale inspires Rahima to pass as a boy, too. Cutting her hair and donning pants lets her barter at the market, attend classes and play soccer with the boys. Everyone accepts her new position as a son. Even her parents exempt her from certain household duties better left to girls. Unfortunately, Rahima’s opium-addicted father is indebted to a warlord, who has taken an interest in the 13-year-old. After having tasted freedom as a bacha posh, how can she return to the oppression inflicted upon women? Does Shekiba’s story offer any answer? Hashimi’s debut novel nimbly alternates between Shekiba’s and Rahima’s tales, drawing disturbing parallels between two women separated by a century. Ten years after her teenage daughter went missing, a mother begins a new relationship only to discover she can't truly move on until she answers lingering questions about the past. Hoover is one of the freshest voices in new-adult fiction, and her latest resonates with true emotion, unforgettable characters and just the right amount of sexual tension.