A Woman is No Man
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A Woman is No Man shifts perspectives from the point-of-view of three Palestinian women of the Ra'ad family: Fareeda, Isra, and Deya. It is the debut novel of author Etaf Ram.
Synopsis[edit]
The story, set in Palestine, begins with 17-year-old Isra who anxious about the prospect of being married at her young age. In her culture, a woman's naseeb (destiny) is tied to being married and having children. Isra's parents arrange countless suitors to come and determine whether or not Isra is a suitable partner until they land on Adam Ra'ad, a 30-something year old Palestinian man living in Brooklyn, New York. Isra is thrilled about going to America, assuming that the country will provide her with more freedoms and opportunities than she's been afforded in her homeland.
However, Isra quickly determines that is not the case. Adam lives with his parents, Fareeda and Khaled, as well as his brothers Otis and Ali. The only space for Adam and Isra to start their newly married life is in the basement, which is cramped and has no windows. Adam is gone all day working at his family's convenience store, while Fareeda brings Isra under her wing to help cook and clean for the men. Meanwhile, Fareeda constantly pressures Isra to start having children so she can "do her duty" and bear a son for Adam.
So when Isra has her first born child, a daughter named Deya, Fareeda is disappointed and angry at Isra. She also encourages her to avoid breastfeeding as that is rumored to impede on her ability to get pregnant. Isra goes on to have 3 more daughters: Nora, Layla, and Amil, much to the discontentment of both Fareeda and Adam. For every daughter born, Isra feels more and more worthless. She also sinks into a depression that she blames on a demon in her culture known as a jinn.
A Woman is No Man is told through not only Isra's perspective, but also Fareeda's and Deya's. It's about Palestinian woman who are trying to navigate and stay true to a culture that is repressive and limiting. This is at odds with the influence of Western culture.
Reception[edit]
A Woman is No Man is a New York Times bestseller. It received rave reviews from critics at publications like The New York Times[1] and The Washington Post.
References[edit]
- ↑ Silcox, Beejay (2019-03-29). "A Debut Novel Probes the Difficult Lives of Arab-American Women". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-04-12.
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