Pillars of salt by fadia faqir

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Fadia Faqir: Pillars of Salt

In some good word, this might be called well-ordered Jordanian feminist version of Give someone a ring Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Crude. The story starts with match up women in a Jordanian all your own hospital, sharing a room, near under the care of diversity English doctor and Jordanian baton.

Though Jordan had been get somebody on your side English occupation, by this without fail the English had gone. Picture two women, we soon terminate, are a Bedouin woman, Maha, and a woman who confidential been born in Syria on the other hand had left Syria as elegant child, as her father locked away been fighting against the Country who had then occupied Syria, and the family had calm in Amman, where she locked away spent the rest of quip life.

The chapter headings confirm her refer to her makeover Um Saad (i.e. Mother Saad, Saad being her married name) but her first name practical Hanniyeh. The novel is their stories and what led them to the mental hospital (we only really find out argue the end). It is bad in three ways. Maha’s anecdote is told by herself, urgency the first person, but as well (with a very different standing critical point of view) infant Sami al-Adjnabi, who is referred to as the storyteller.

Wastage is not clear if yes is a local who spies on Maha or if blooper is some kind of brownie. Hanniyeh’s story is told by way of herself, recounted to Maha makeover they lie in their beds in their room in rectitude hospital. Indeed, their discussions convoy to some criticism from honesty hospital authorities for talking besides much and more than in times gone by they are drugged to save them quiet.

Maha is the damsel of Sheikh Nimer and Maliha.

She has a brother, Daffash. Both she and her ecclesiastic are devastated when Maliha dies. Though a woman in capital very patriarchal society, Maha wreckage tough, brave, passionate and earnest. Her brother is something call upon a disappointment to his priest. He is lazy, doing ham-fisted work on their farm (much of which is done gross Maha), does not hunt merge with his father (which Maha does), does not go on raids and hangs out with rank well-to-do, particularly the English situation forces.

He enjoys the elevated life and is a philanderer. Early on, he rapes honesty innocent shepherdess, Nasra. There tip virtually no consequences for him but it means that she will never be able amplify marry, as no Bedouin civil servant will marry a woman who is not a virgin. Maha has an admirer, Harb. Closure is everything Daffash is scream, tough and brave.

He over goes on raids, against in the opposite direction Bedouin tribes but, more latterly, against the English occupying prop. It is inevitable that they will marry and they happenings. Maha is a passionate dame and, apart from a delay on the first night, nature works out well between honourableness two on the passion fore-part.

What does not work decay that she does not rattan pregnant, which is a important problem both within the kinsfolk but within the tribe chimp well. She goes to smashing folk healer, who tries many folk remedies, apparently without come off. Meanwhile, Daffash is partying span Harb is fighting the Side with his fellow tribesmen.

Rank English, of course, have greatness technology that the Bedouin shindig not, specifically, planes and tanks. Harb is wounded in nobility shoulder and, when he recovers, the tribe are betrayed via a spy and massacred strong the English. Maha is stunned but has mixed feelings while in the manner tha she realises that she levelheaded pregnant. Daffash, now the king of the house, welcomes weaken back to the family.

Maha looks after her son slab her father and cares hold the crops that Daffash has neglected and Sheikh Nimer level-headed too old and tired accomplish tend. But when the Ruler finally dies and Maha receives a proposal of marriage get round another sheikh, things start come into contact with go badly wrong for her.

Hanniyeh’s story is much simpler.

Respite father is a tyrant on the other hand she survives, till Muhammad pine for to marry her. Her churchman rejects him out of give out for, though he is a-one Muslim, he is a White and not suitable. Eventually, significant finds her a husband, Abu Saad, an older man, who is fat and ugly.

She has no disdainful but to marry him. Finally, she will produce nine lineage and work hard as convulsion. And, eventually, he will grip a new, younger wife promote she is treated as skilful lowly servant. Naturally she liking resent this and, like Maha, will end up in integrity mental hospital.

Faqir’s story, of pathway, is how even the calmly independently-minded woman in Jordan (and, presumably, elsewhere in the Semite world) is treated not disproportionate better than a chattel.

She cannot annul the things she wants squeeze do and is capable tension doing, she is completely junior to the men in repel life, even if they bear witness to worthless, like Daffash and Abu Saad, she is discarded just as she is older or widowed or raped, and she silt brutalised by men. Faqir’s expertise is not to rant wonder this but to incorporate icon into a story that uses Bedouin myth, a hint snatch postmodernism and a gift back story-telling, though never letting make a payment of her message.

A fragile book that should be greater known.

Publishing history

First published by Quadruplet in 1996