The Pearl That Broke Its Shell: A Novel Hardcover – May 6, 2014

In her debut novel, Nadia Hashimi has gifted the world with a wonderfully written, mesmerizing look into a fascinating family drama set in Afghanistan. The main protagonists are Rahima, a young 21st century Afghani girl and her great-great-grandmother Shekiba who lived in the early 20th century.The story shifts between the young women who share not only DNA, but the fact that both were allowed for awhile to dress and live as males. Under a custom called bacha posh, families who do not have sons or have a single son, may allow a daughter to have her hair cut in boy fashion, don boy’s clothing, be given the freedom of boys to attend school, play in the streets, do marketing and price haggling for the family, earn money for the family, freed from household chores, be favored by the father, and receive the best food at home. After the onset of puberty, the girl has to transition back to a traditional Afghani female. Wherein lies much of the poignancy of this exquisite story. Once they have tasted freedom, recognition and respect, the bacha posh can have difficulty adjusting back to their culture’s traditional female role.Rahima, allowed to become a bacha posh, is one of five daughters. Her outspoken, sharp-tongued maternal aunt, Khala Shaima, never married due to a physical deformity, visits the family frequently to urge that the Rahima and her sisters be allowed to attend school, that they are as worthy as boys. She also tells them many stories, including that of Shekiba, their great-great-grandmother. Although the girls are allowed to attend school for a short time, after an incident with boys harassing them in the streets, they ultimately end up homebound. Rahima’s father is not a good provider, had spent much of his young adulthood fighting with the mujahideen against the Russian occupiers. His re-entry to civilian life did not go well. Between his substance abuse and his lack of a son, he was an angry, bitter man. His continued alliance with the local warlord from his mujahideen days will have drastic consequences for his family.Shekiba was the daughter of a happily married couple. Her father was a farmer who could make any crop grow, a true man of the earth. He taught all of his children to read. Her mother, two brothers and a sister died in a cholera outbreak, leaving Shekiba and her father working the farm. After father dies, Shekiba tells no one and continues to work the farm on her own, dawning her burqa if anyone approaches the homestead. Eventually her deception is discovered, she is moved to her grandmother’s house in the family compound and treated worse than a servant. Her spirit is fatigued at times, but never defeated. Shekiba becomes a female dressed as a male in the king’s harem, just outside the palace. The king has learned not to trust male guards.The description of Shekiba’s life in the harem is interesting and very compelling. The prestige of the concubines, the size of their apartments, their wardrobes and jewelry, were determined by the favor they held with the king. For the most part, this was dependent on the number of male children the concubine bore. The same measure used for Afghani wives, actually. Despite the luxury and leisure afforded concubines, there was always a shadow of danger hanging over them in their silk and jewelry-laden prison. Displeasing the king could be deadly. There is a vivid description of a stoning of a concubine who has entertained another man.This story is fascinating. Not only is it beautifully written, but the two arcs of the story, Shekiba and Rahima, based a century apart, show the similarities and contrasts of the female role in Afghani society. Shekiba saw the beginnings of modernization for Afghanistan under King Amanullah and Queen Soraya which included the expansion of the roles for women in society (true historical characters). A century later, Rahima actually participates in the Afghani legislature as assistant to a female representative.King Amanullah’s efforts to modernize Afghanistan a century ago were met with resistance and rebellion, eventually forcing him into exile after less than a decade of rule.It is still an open question whether today’s efforts to modernize the country and expand the role of women in the Afghani culture will succeed. The message of this book is that through the indomitable nature of the human spirit, there is hope, no matter the external circumstances of one’s existence.I gave this book a 4.75/5.0 rating. I hated to put it down to work, eat, sleep, and actually read it while I was on the treadmill and bike at the gym. I have barely sketched the stories of these two women; there are many other characters in the book who are just as mesmerizing. The most intense focus is on the women, but the men’s stories are represented as well because more than anything else, this is a novel about family. The men’s fates are also shaped by cultural expectations and how they use the power endowed by their societal structure has consequences for everyone around them. Some choose to brutalize others with this power while other men choose kindness, empathy and love.

The numerous Indian references to relatives, objects etc were very confusing for an American to understand. I really wanted to like this book and made numerous attempts to continue reading. I appreciate the author trying to convey the struggle of Afghan women, but the start of the book is slow and uneventful that it lost my attention.

Nadia Hashimi's debut novel is a strong work that explores the lives of two Afghani women who lived a hundred years apart. Both women, for different reasons, participate in a Afghan tradition, bacha posh of dressing a daughter as a boy when there are no sons. The novel tackles the issues of child marriage, abuse, discord between women of a household (second, third, and fourth wives as well as mother-in-laws), opium abuse, warlords, corruption, and the impact of war and invasion on everyday people. The focus is on the burden on women in the society and the split narratives show how little conditions for women have changed.What is interesting is that the portrayal of Rahima is not a story of someone living under the radical Taliban beliefs, but of the more traditional Afghan society. Her great-great-grandmother, Shekiba's world is that of the monarchy. One can see how despite the changes in government, little has changed for women.Hashimi's language is beautiful at times but the world she paints is bleak, full of loss and struggle. There is strength in many the women who exist in the novel but it creates a bitterness that they often take out on each other and leaves the reader with a sense of anger and a desire for them to turn that bitterness and anger on the men who have built this dreadful world they inhabit.The two women's stories end differently, but for me it is Rahima's that falls short. It felt rushed and almost anti-climactic. Granted, at 450 pages, it was time to end it, but there was room for editing earlier on that could have left more space to do her story justice in the ending. It wasn't a bad ending in terms of where it left the reader, rather a poorly paced ending that lost the potential impact of a better structured and written ending.Despite the rush at the end, the novel is worth the read for the insights into a world few westerners can fathom. It is through novels that we can develop empathy for those who live a life so different from our own.

Imagine a world where young children grow up either in poverty or riches, a time when the poor live much as they did 100 years ago, where young girls are seen not as a joy but almost bad luck, sold or bartered into marriages with men they probably haven't met or who are many years older than they.That is the world opened through the Nadia Hashimi's book "The Pearl That Broke Its Shell." It is the story of two young Afghani women: Rahima, who is one of five daughters in a family that decides to make her a bachata posh, which allows her to dress and be treated as a boy until marriageable age; and in alternate chapters, her great, great grandmother, Shekiba, an orphan treated badly first by her family and then sold into servitude to pay a debt. As told in Hashimi's capable hands, we see how similar their lives are and how the determination for a better life drives both.This is a quite astounding read and a good story that allows us to sea and begin to understand a bit of what it is like to live in such a world, especially in the time of great changes for Afghanistan.

The book was recommended to me by my sister-in-law. It was very well written and interesting. My only complaint is that it took almost 3 weeks to arrive! Maybe I've become spoiled with 2 day shipping, but this amount of time seems excessive.

O livro descreve a vida de duas mulheres afgãs em uma sociedade machista. Traz características e a compreensão de uma cultura diferente da ocidental. É de fácil leitura e envolvente.

Enlightening read. So much but so little! The plight of women over the recent decades in Afghanistan is heart breaking. How any human can treat another human in such violent ways with little or no respect, is tragic. Tragic for a nation and human kind. Tragic for the women caught up in this life. Their strength of character is admirable given the circumstance. The power of an individual's survival instincts can conquer the worst scenarios. I found this story compelling and I couldn't put it down. A must read, particularly for those who are sceptical about women seeking refuge in another country. Every refugee has a story, and particularly the women. Easy to read and I enjoyed Nadia's style of writing.

Oh yes - this is an excellent and moving read.Set in Kabul the book traces the tragic lives of two related women; one at the turn of the last century, and one in current times. They face similar and awesome (in the real meaning of the word) barriers to living life as it should be - let alone any chance of being happy. The subjugation of women now and then was appalling. This is the tale of two women who fought against their fates.The book is well written, and a great read on many levels. It was hugely popular with our book group.

Loved the story of human spirit and strength of family. Well written with just the right amount of description to transport you into that world.

Enjoyed it very much. Very thought provoking.