The Pearl That Broke Its Shell - Nadia Hashimi

 

59th of 2021 was The Pearl That Broke Its Shell by Nadia Hashimi. Story of two women Rahima and her great-geat-grandmother Shekiba, in fact many women from Afghanistan. "It is up to you to find a way to make things easier for yourself" Shekiba's aunt tells her. 

Rahima says that Khala Shaima's story about Bibi Shekiba transformed her, this is indeed a novel about transformation. Rahima loves being bacha posh for the freedoms it brings. Being able to work in the market, play soccer, and go to school. The experience and the story  of her great great grandmother  was her inspiration.  Shekiba, the gift that could  be given away as easily as it had been accepted.

The word Naseeb or destiny, comes up often as each woman is repeatedly told that she much accept her fate. When Rahima asks Khala Shaima, "Wouldn't people say that is blasphemous?  To change the naseeb that Allah has for us?" her aunt responds, "....you tell me which of those people who say such a thing have spoken with Allah to know what the true naseeb is." Both of them have to deal with their husbands other wives. 

Earlier Afghanistan was eyed lasciviously by Russia and Britain. Each would take turns promising to protect the borders they had just invaded, like a pedophile who professes to love his victim. The borders between Afghanistan and India were drawn and redrawn from time to tome, as if only penciled in. People belonged to one country and then the other, nationalities changing as often as the direction of the wind. For Great Britain and the Soviet Union, Afghanistan was the playing field for their 'Great Game', the power struggle to control Central Asia. But the game was slowly coming to an end, the Afghan people fericiously resisting outside control. Chests expanded with pride when Afghans talked about their resilience. Then Taliban tried to attacked them, followed by America in the pretext of riding out Taliban.

Everyone has a purpose.  There are many forces at play. One has to tread carefully.  We are mice in a field of elephants  but if we are smart about our moves, we can save ourselves  from their heavy feet.

"The problem  is we have unrest within our borders and unrest at the borders. Our attention cannot lag or we will be weekend the two are linked a country secular in itself will stand strong against those who eye it hungrily and those who eye us know that troubles at home makes for easy prey.

There is some kiss we want with our whole body,

The touch of spirit on the body,

Seawater begs the pearl to break its shell,

And the lily, how passionately  it need some wild Darling,

At night, I open the window and ask the moon to come

And press its face against  mine. Breathe into me.

Benafsha was so mad in love, she would not give away the name of her lover even if it cost her  life. 

But sometimes  you have to act out of line, I suppose,  Some-times you have to take a chance if you want something  badly enough.

This life is difficult.  We lose fathers, brothers, mothers songbirds  and pieces of ourselves.  Whips strike the innocent, honors go to the guilty, and there is too much loneliness.  I would  be  a fool to pray for my children  to escape  all of that. Ask for too much and it might actually  turn out worse. But I can pray for small things,  like fertile fields,  a mother's love, a child's smile - a life that is less bitter than sweet.