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A review by amyvl93
The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
his was I think just not for me. I loved <i>The Island of Missing Trees</i> when I read it earlier this year and this had been highly recommended - and I just found it a bit of a slog.
The novel opens with Ella, a middle-aged woman whose married to a man who has been having affairs for years and is the mother to three children - one in college and two in high school. She's just got a job with a literary agent, introducing the split narrative - one that takes us back to the 1200s and the story of Rumi and Shams of Tabriz. We flick between the two stories as Ella also begins to form a relationship with Aziz, the author of the book she is reading.
Overall, this felt like quite a heavy handed introduction to Sufism and the titular Forty Rules - there are numerous moments where Shams will just announce 'that is one of the rules' and than recite it regardless of what might be going around him. The parallels between Ella and Aziz in the present and Rumi and Shams in the past also felt like being hit over the head as well. I found the historical storyline far more compelling, and Shafak really vividly created all of the places that Shams travelled through. However, the 1200s did feel very...modern, both in terms of outlook of the characters and the way that they spoke. I also felt like a ready we were supposed to be rooting for Rumi and Shams, but I found the latter in particular to be incredibly self-absorbed and certainly not someone I would dedicate my life to following.
I was a bit gutted after this experience - I think I do want to give Daughters of Eve a whirl, maybe Shafak's more religious-inspired novels just aren't for me.
The novel opens with Ella, a middle-aged woman whose married to a man who has been having affairs for years and is the mother to three children - one in college and two in high school. She's just got a job with a literary agent, introducing the split narrative - one that takes us back to the 1200s and the story of Rumi and Shams of Tabriz. We flick between the two stories as Ella also begins to form a relationship with Aziz, the author of the book she is reading.
Overall, this felt like quite a heavy handed introduction to Sufism and the titular Forty Rules - there are numerous moments where Shams will just announce 'that is one of the rules' and than recite it regardless of what might be going around him. The parallels between Ella and Aziz in the present and Rumi and Shams in the past also felt like being hit over the head as well. I found the historical storyline far more compelling, and Shafak really vividly created all of the places that Shams travelled through. However, the 1200s did feel very...modern, both in terms of outlook of the characters and the way that they spoke. I also felt like a ready we were supposed to be rooting for Rumi and Shams, but I found the latter in particular to be incredibly self-absorbed and certainly not someone I would dedicate my life to following.
I was a bit gutted after this experience - I think I do want to give Daughters of Eve a whirl, maybe Shafak's more religious-inspired novels just aren't for me.