Blurb from goodreads.com, please scroll down for my review
In a remote community on the edge of a windswept desert, a woman has been condemned to death by stoning. Steeped in the harsh values of her traditional, patriarchal society, Noor accepts her fate. When an aid worker befriends her, urging her to defend herself and her unborn child, the two women form a bond. Together with Amina, Noor’s outspoken friend, they struggle to defy the law.
Written in prose imbued with the rhythms and images of the author’s native language, Arabic, this is a tale of the bonds of female friendships, solidarity and empowerment in a society where the woman’s voice, especially in the public sphere has been denied.
Quote “Her one regret will be that she will not have solved the mystery of why the moon waxes and wanes in the course of the month while the sun remains unchanged”.
My Review
Welcome to my journey around the world through books, Today we are visiting country 66 Lebanon with the book Seven Stones by the author Vénus Khoury-Ghata
First of all a huge shoutout to Jacaranda books who donated this book.
In a small unknown isolated village, in an unknown country, but I will call it Lebanon because that is where the author of this novel is from and that is the country of choice in my read the world challenge.
So what goes on in the mind of a woman who has been sentenced to death for adultery by stoning. She is having a hard time but at the same time she has accepted her fate. This novel is written in parts in the second person and parts in the third person, depending on who is the main character of the chapter, of which there are three; one is a nameless aid worker trying to escape from her past, another is Amina the friend of the sentanced woman, and the third, the woman sentenced to be stoned to death, Noor, this novel reminded me a little of The Patience Stone which I also found to be very hard hitting and difficult to swallow. You can watch that review here.
Each of the 3 main characters are very strong despite being in a male dominated world where women are often silent and accepting of their fate. It is a sad novel with a strong message, but does that give the right to aid workers from other countries to intervene and try to change another’s future and their laws.
A well written book about a difficult subject, with strong female characters and a tough ending which was sad and difficult to read with harsh details in a harsh environment.
I give this book 4 stars. The next country we are visiting in my Read The World challenge is the USA.
Originally published at http://readinginecuador.wordpress.com on March 7, 2022.
