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A review by daffz
A Girl Like That by Tanaz Bhathena
4.0
Trigger Warnings: Sexual Abuse, Domestic Abuse
This was not an easy read, but definitely a profound one. I'm having trouble thinking of what to write about this book, but I think it's a very well-written and important novel. The story is about a sixteen year old girl named Zarin being raised by her aunt and uncle in Saudi Arabia. Zarin has managed to build up a reputation as a 'bad girl', a troublemaker who spends time with boys and smokes cigarettes. But there is a lot more to her, more that a lot of her peers and adults around her are unable to see. The story begins with her death, then moves back in time to build up what happened to lead up to it. It was a sad story, as I grew invested in both Zarin and the sweet romance in the book, while knowing the entire time how the book would end. The plot highlighted how restricting the culture Zarin grew up in was, and I was happily surprised by the multiple perspectives that showed how this society affected different people.
All in all, not an easy book and not one I would recommend for everyone. But if it looks interesting to you, and if you heed the trigger warnings, it's definitely a story that will stick with you.
This was not an easy read, but definitely a profound one. I'm having trouble thinking of what to write about this book, but I think it's a very well-written and important novel. The story is about a sixteen year old girl named Zarin being raised by her aunt and uncle in Saudi Arabia. Zarin has managed to build up a reputation as a 'bad girl', a troublemaker who spends time with boys and smokes cigarettes. But there is a lot more to her, more that a lot of her peers and adults around her are unable to see. The story begins with her death, then moves back in time to build up what happened to lead up to it. It was a sad story, as I grew invested in both Zarin and the sweet romance in the book, while knowing the entire time how the book would end. The plot highlighted how restricting the culture Zarin grew up in was, and I was happily surprised by the multiple perspectives that showed how this society affected different people.
All in all, not an easy book and not one I would recommend for everyone. But if it looks interesting to you, and if you heed the trigger warnings, it's definitely a story that will stick with you.