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A review by worldlibraries
The Story of Zahra by Hanan Al-Shaykh
4.0
This was a hard book to read. Being only 214 pages I assumed I would breeze right through it. However, I didn't like any of the characters, I didn't identify with them, I didn't approve of their choices, and for a lot of the book they were so unhappy and doing everything for such wrong reasons (such as impressing their friends) it was hard to continue reading.
Then I finished the book and I understood that all of that had lead up to a very haunting finish that I know I shall never forget. Later, I understood from reading other reviews that I experienced these people the way we experience people with inner turmoil in real life - not having a clue about why they act that way. The novelist had given me, as a reader, an opportunity to see someone in crisis, and view her with the upmost empathy possible. Did I? That too, shall remain part of the haunting of this read.
Recommended review after you finished the book (but not before):
Jordan's review, with five likes, the first of Goodreads reviews of this book.
Then I finished the book and I understood that all of that had lead up to a very haunting finish that I know I shall never forget. Later, I understood from reading other reviews that I experienced these people the way we experience people with inner turmoil in real life - not having a clue about why they act that way. The novelist had given me, as a reader, an opportunity to see someone in crisis, and view her with the upmost empathy possible. Did I? That too, shall remain part of the haunting of this read.
Recommended review after you finished the book (but not before):
Jordan's review, with five likes, the first of Goodreads reviews of this book.