Not too long ago, a friend bought me a book from the charity shop because she said she read the blurb and she knew it was a ‘me’ book. And, well, she was not wrong. I have picked it up in these ‘Twixmas’ days as I knew I had the chance to give it some time, but as I could not put it down, and I was reading past my bedtime with the good old ‘just one more chapter’, it did not take too long to read at all.
‘A Woman is No Man’ by Etaf Rum is an incredibly powerful read. This book tells two stories in parallel, one of Isra, as she leaves Palenstine for her new life in America, with her new husband and his family, a marriage that has been arranged for her. The other of her daughter Deya, who has been growing up with her grandparents in New York, since, as she believes, the death of her parents, Isra and Adam.
As we follow Isra’s story, she has arrived in a land that she hopes will bring her freedom and allow her to gain more freedom as a woman. However, does her husband’s family’s desire for tradition and reputation amongst their ex-pat community in New York just cause her to in fact become less free than she could ever have imagined. What will her fate become? At the same time we follow Deya as she attempts to break the cycle of expectation on her for being a woman in her Muslim family. But she is also dealing the trauma of losing he mother at a young age, her aunt running away and her desire to ensure that her sisters are always protected. Alongside this, she discovers that her family history may not have been presented her to accurately – will that cause her to have the strength to change the generational cycle for all the women that will follow her?
I am not sure that I can do this book justice, as there is just so much in it that can be shared and discussed. However, this would lead to me potentially revealing spoilers and I am not willing to do that. What I can share is that Etaf Rum has written an incredible novel that should be read by us all. Although there are some difficult topics in the story and a lot of tragedy, both women are strong female characters, they are just tackling very similar but very different circumstances.
The very final chapter of the book is one of the best I have ever read, and the final line is quite something. It will stay with you for quite some time when you have finished the book – I am still thinking about it now and I think I will be thinking of it for quite some time to come.
So, as you enter the new year, or are looking for something to take you to the finish line of 2025, then this is a book you should definitely seek out. It was my 100th book of the year and it is certainly one of my favourites, which I can see recommending to absolutely everyone if they are willing to listen.