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A review by chrissireads
A Girl Like That by Tanaz Bhathena
3.0
I decided to read another 2018 debut so I picked up A Girl Like That which I had heard mixed things about. I’m glad I took the time to read it, although I didn’t find it overly memorable. At the start of the book, we find that Zarin and her friend Porus have been killed in a car crash. We, as readers, then follow Zarin’s story told through different points of views.
Zarin, who is from Mumbai, lives with relatives after the death of her parents. Zarin begins to rebel. She starts dating boys and smoking which is certainly disapproved of within her culture. At first, it’s to wind up her aunt but then it becomes a way to act to prove to others that she’s not who people expect her to be. Zarin becomes a target for bullies at school. She is slut-shamed because she doesn’t comply with her cultural norms.
I liked how through different points of views, we could find out that the girl that Zarin seemed to be wasn’t the girl she really was. Zarin was actually a traumatised girl who had experienced some horrific things in her life. Zarin’s actions were simply curious about sex and boys. Zarin didn’t understand how males were treated so differently to girls. It is interesting to read a book that so openly discusses double standards that there are in society.
I do appreciate stories that involve characters from different faiths other than my own. I can’t say if it was represented accurately, but I certainly found it interesting to follow. I wasn’t overly impressed with the ending of this story which is why I haven’t rated it four stars. However, I did think it was an intriguing read about love, religion and culture. Just beware that there is some very heavy content including rape.
Zarin, who is from Mumbai, lives with relatives after the death of her parents. Zarin begins to rebel. She starts dating boys and smoking which is certainly disapproved of within her culture. At first, it’s to wind up her aunt but then it becomes a way to act to prove to others that she’s not who people expect her to be. Zarin becomes a target for bullies at school. She is slut-shamed because she doesn’t comply with her cultural norms.
I liked how through different points of views, we could find out that the girl that Zarin seemed to be wasn’t the girl she really was. Zarin was actually a traumatised girl who had experienced some horrific things in her life. Zarin’s actions were simply curious about sex and boys. Zarin didn’t understand how males were treated so differently to girls. It is interesting to read a book that so openly discusses double standards that there are in society.
I do appreciate stories that involve characters from different faiths other than my own. I can’t say if it was represented accurately, but I certainly found it interesting to follow. I wasn’t overly impressed with the ending of this story which is why I haven’t rated it four stars. However, I did think it was an intriguing read about love, religion and culture. Just beware that there is some very heavy content including rape.