A review by fuzaila
The Secret Sky by Atia Abawi

3.0

"THIS IS LOVE: TO FLY TOWARD A SECRET SKY,
TO CAUSE A HUNDRED VEILS TO FALL EACH MOMENT.
FIRST TO LET GO OF LIFE.
FINALLY, TO TAKE A STEP WITHOUT FEET."
-Jalal ad-Din Rumi

Because this book is set in Afghanistan, from where comes great writers like Khaled Hosseini, I picked this book with enthusiasm. Not much of my expectations were met though.

OVERVIEW
Samiullah and Fathima are childhood friends. He is a Pashtun boy and she is a Hazara girl. They should have known better than to grow fond of each other. But still, they can't resist falling in love. In the land of Taliban, love like their's is not greeted without contempt. Samiullah's cousin Rashid is bent down on punishing them for their offensive act of falling in love. It is not only them but also their families who must face the consequences. Will their love survive? Would Rashid be condecending enough to spare their love, and life?

My thoughts

¤ ~ The premise was promising - A tale of forbidden love in Afghanistan. But the story felt short of love. Samiullah and Fatima's love story felt just like a 'story' to me, almost forced. Not that I expected any romance. But still, I didn't understand their love and couldn't sympathize for them.

¤ ~ The characters lack a certain depth. I couldn't feel for any of them. I didn't feel any grief or pain on the deaths.

¤ ~ The writing felt... flat. I was emotionless throughout the book. Even if the story was touchy, it earned no sympathy from me. Absolutely none.

¤ ~ I liked the way Atia Abawi blended common observations into her story. It added to the appeal.
Like this -

"I don't stare. Instead I quickly grab some raw dough and stick it to my mouth before running off, barely in time to save myself from a swat from my aunt's rolling pin."

Or even this,

"Behind him is the four-year-old concentrating on a plate full of nuts and candy, obviously afraid of dropping it. Mullah Sarwar kisses him after he succesfully sets the plate down infront of us"

¤ ~ The narrative was very clever. The way it alternates between Samiullah, Rashid and Fathima's perspective, let's us know what was happening behind the scenes.

¤ ~ There was nothing new to the story. I could predict every part of it, even the deaths.

Spoiler

Fathima's sister Afo is killed in absence of her as a punishment to her family

. It was a huge turn-off for me. I'm not usually a I-know-what-is-gonna-happen soert of reader. But this book was plain and lacked intensity, I had it all figured out.

VERDICT
I liked the book but did not like the book. I liked it because it successfully portrays the ethnic cultural differences and the hardships of women's life in Afghanistan. Other than that there wasn't much that appealed to me in this book.