Nadia Hashimi is an Afghan-American paediatrician who in this her début novel tells the story of two young Afghan women, Rahima and her great-great grandmother Shekiba, a century apart (2007 – 1900), united by gender, who at some point in their lives have each become a bacha posh, a girl who dresses as a boy to enjoy freedoms such as attending school, chaperoning other girls/women, and running errands. Then they later have to adjust back to the restrictive roles of women imposed by their culture by men, by other women alike, and by religion.
The bacha posh custom is one that I was not familiar with before reading this novel.
This novel criss-crosses in time to tell two beautiful yet heart-wrenching stories. Throughout, you see how resilient Afghani women are in a culture that values women very differently from what you are probably unaccustomed to, if they are valued at all that is. You can feel their anguish, their despair, and their hope in this beautiful writing.
I will admit I read this thinking “thank goodness I was not born into a culture as portrayed”. I counted my blessings.
A lover of mangoes. A woman - smart, without pretense, lefthanded, Afropolitan - navigating this thing called life. An unapologetic believer in social justice and karma. Choosing to radiate positive energy and be true to myself. Here, my musings.
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