A review by bookreviewswithkb
Evil Eye by Etaf Rum

emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes

5.0

author of a WOMAN IS NO MAN

“she would spend her life under the weight of her unacknowledged pain, and even when she couldn’t bear it anymore, she would do whatever she could to set it down, even if it meant hurting the people around her.”

a reflection on what happens when a woman’s life becomes completely consumed by fulfilling the expectations placed upon her, of things she really doesn’t want to do, rather than living her life according to the things that are pleasing for the sake of being pleasing, the things that are only for herself, the things that no one believed she was capable of

this is such a character driven story and i was rooting for them as much as i was frustrated by them. i wanted to hate Fadi, the main character’s husband, but i understand him too. the way society has ingrained in us that we have to work hard and ignore our emotions, particularly men. that there is no room for emotions or talking about how we feel or acknowledging that the “fucked up shit” we went through was actually traumatic. patriarchy is bad for all of us

you all will definitely want to pre-order, run to the bookstore, place a hold at your library, whatever you need to do to get this in your hands when it releases on September 5th, 2023
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