Once it was East and West Pakistan but now it is Pakistan and Bangladesh. I have always read about this in my history books but it was the Pakistan’s side of story. When I read this story by Katherine Russell I learnt what it was like for the Bengalis to be a part of Pakistan and not get their identity as a Bengali.
The book Without Shame is a beautifully written story of a Bengali girl, Sariyah ...who is different from what the society expects her to be. She lives in a village called Madhukali. She is expected to marry young, have children, be a housewife and not have the desire to be educated. Her marriage gets fixed to a 50 year old man. Then she meets a foreigner who is volunteering to teach at her village. Knowing how much her friendship with him could endanger her existence she still continues to see him and eventually ends up falling in love. Guess what? Yes, she gets in trouble when her family finds out. But just when I thought it’s like every other story where a traditional girl falls in love with a Western boy and struggles to unite with her love, I was intrigued by how the story took a turn and that’s what really made this story one of a kind for me.
The story is sweet and crisp. It had got me hooked from the first page itself unlike some stories which I really need to give a chance for the first two to three chapters. Though in the end I really wished there was more to read but I guess the purpose of the author was to give us an insight about the life of the Bengalis in the 1968 and she did succeed.
Disclaimer: I had received a soft copy of this book from FB Publishing House.
The book Without Shame is a beautifully written story of a Bengali girl, Sariyah ...who is different from what the society expects her to be. She lives in a village called Madhukali. She is expected to marry young, have children, be a housewife and not have the desire to be educated. Her marriage gets fixed to a 50 year old man. Then she meets a foreigner who is volunteering to teach at her village. Knowing how much her friendship with him could endanger her existence she still continues to see him and eventually ends up falling in love. Guess what? Yes, she gets in trouble when her family finds out. But just when I thought it’s like every other story where a traditional girl falls in love with a Western boy and struggles to unite with her love, I was intrigued by how the story took a turn and that’s what really made this story one of a kind for me.
The story is sweet and crisp. It had got me hooked from the first page itself unlike some stories which I really need to give a chance for the first two to three chapters. Though in the end I really wished there was more to read but I guess the purpose of the author was to give us an insight about the life of the Bengalis in the 1968 and she did succeed.
Disclaimer: I had received a soft copy of this book from FB Publishing House.
Tags: book review, Without Shame, Katherine Russell, a Bengali story, novel, books