Pillars of Salt: A Novel (Emerging Voices Series)

Rating:
Summary: An incredibly moving and powerful book
Review: I love reading the work of Arab women writers so I was happy to try reading Fadia Faqir. The book centres upon the stories of two women in an insane asylum in Jordan. As the book unfolds, the stories of the women and how they come to be in the asylum is told. The book must be read in order to appreciate the beauty of the writing. Ms. Faqir is able to powerfully relate the stories of the two women making each one compelling. Never have I read such an incredible description of the pain and grief associated with losing a loved one as in this book; it is not for the faint of heart. Anyone who just loves beauty would adore this book and also "Memory in the Flesh" by Ahlam Mostaghemi.

Rating:
Summary: Apocalyptic, yet a pleasant reading
Review: The author explores the oppression of women in Jordanian society by telling the life stories of two women, one from the city and another from the countryside. The timeframe is set in the first half of the twentieth century during the British mandate of Jordan, though I thought the historical context is not of a great consequence and the events described might as well be timeless. The book alternates between the narratives of three people: the two women in the madhouse and a storyteller (a man) who recounts the tale of the country woman as an outsider and with great distortion to suit his listeners' appetites for legend and in line with a practice of patronizing (sometimes demonizing) women.

Women seem to get no reprieve from societal oppression by both male and female, though overwhelmingly from male domination and chauvinism. If a husband loves his wife then he is bewitched by her evil magic. If one is hard working on the farm or resourceful in the house, then she is a cunning and scheming woman with ulterior motives. If a woman is assaulted, then somehow it is her fault by enticing the assailant and her life may be destroyed while her male attacker goes unscathed. Even when a woman submits to her dejected destiny and works hard to support her family, she gets no break. Finally when a woman breaks down and dares to object or show the mildest rebellion she is cruelly punished. In the case of the two characters in the book, they are committed to an insane asylum, a profound injustice and a convenient solution for their male oppressors.

Stylistically, I think the prose is interesting, however, I do not think it is groundbreaking and the author translates heavily from colloquial expressions and vernacular idioms and also from the Koran (the Muslim Holy book). At times the translation makes for colorful and quaint language and that is perhaps a novelty for a reader who does not speak Arabic, but for those who do, I think they may encounter certain detraction from the original elegant qualities of translated expressions or verses. In the balance, I think the author did a very good job with regards to this difficult task.

I question the author's dedication of her book (in part) to her tribe. I understand that one should be proud of who one is and where one comes from, but if the message in this book -as I gathered- is to move beyond the ills that plague Jordan and Arab society, shouldn't we move away from, among other ills, sexism and tribalism?