One Half from the East is a book set in Afghanistan and is centered around the unique tradition of dressing up a young girl as a boy in hope of bringing luck to the family. I have read about this concept in quite a few books by authors from this region.
Title: One Half from the East
Genre: Fiction / set in Afghanistan
Author: Nadia Hashimi
Born to Afghan parents, Nadia Hashimi was raised in New York, USA. The Pearl who broke the Shell won her critical acclaim and is one of her best books so far.
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Synopsis:
Obayda is a 10 year old girl living in Kabul with her three sisters and parents when a bomb explosion leaves her father a cripple. From being her hero, he turns into a sullen introvert who never leaves his room nor does he talk to anyone.
Financial circumstances force them to move to the ancestral villages where life seems to be bogged down by gossip and trivial traditions of every sort. Obayda’s life takes another turn when her aunt convinces her mother to turn her into a bacha posh to turn around the family fortunes.
Obayda becomes Obayd and now has to study in the male section of the school with other boys. Petrified that they would guess her secret, she remains mute and friendless till she encounters another bacha posh. Raheem leaves Obayda awe-struck and she strives hard to now emulate him (her) and a close friendship develops between the two.
“Sometimes hiding can set you free.”
Life becomes a free paradise as a boy for her and she can’t imagine how she ever could have possibly lived like a girl. She now wants nothing more than to remain a boy forever but how to convince her parents? Her mother is now pregnant and if it’s a boy, then her days as a bacha posh are numbered.
She remembers a tale her father had told her about walking under a rainbow and making a wish, changes a person into whatever they wish for. Obayda becomes possessed in finding this rainbow and nothing can matter anymore.
But life had other things in store for her when Raheem is suddenly married off and she is left alone to deal with her situation.
Does Obayda find the rainbow or does she have to go back to being a girl once again?
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Lasting impressions on me:
The concept of Bacha Posh is not new to me but Nadia Hashimi has woven quite a heart warming tale around it. She has delved into the psyche of this tradition and explored the conundrum battled by the parents when they think of doing this.
Its quite daunting to make a girl child believe that she is now a boy. Her long hair is cut off, she is dressed in male clothes and now no longer has to cover her hair. She can also play out as long as she likes and that too with the boys her age.
Obayda’s transformation is tender to watch as she first bravely explores what it means to be a boy. But then doubts grip her and her calm is shattered when she finds herself in a classroom full of boys. Its a huge mental game for such a young child to handle and Hashimi has done full justice to it.
Raheem and Obayad’s friendship and the way the two learn to deal with their situation has one cheering for them to power on. But the harsh reality of being turned back into a girl is very real and mind numbing. I loved how the author has put forth Obayd’s reasons for staying a boy now. Freedom had new meanings and new values.
I was a bit let down with the fairy tale part of the book and felt that could have been done without. Overall I would say this book would be liked by YA too as its a sweet story based on two young people.
My Ratings:
I have rated it 3/5 stars and feel thats the best I can give it – I found the tale telling a bit simple, more suited for a younger audience.
If you liked reading this review, perhaps you would be interested in reading this one too – Forty rules of love by Elif Shafak
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I didn’t know about Bacha Posh. That’s a very strange concept. The storyline is fascinating and it would be interesting to read on how life changes when a girl has to act like a boy.
Loved your indepth review.
Thanks Raj – yeah its an interesting concept; Khaled Hussaini too has explored it in his books.
Yeah I enjoyed this book and I do think it is meant to be for children. She explores the same topic in her book for adults with Raheem/Rahima I really enjoy her writing
Yup – I have read Pearl that broke its shell and felt this book to be a tad bit repetitive; almost as if the Bacha Posh is the only thing worth writing about in a story set in Afghanistan!
Sounds interesting. Simple writing style would make it a faster read though.
Yes thats true- it was a faster read for sure Sonal
The story leaves me intrigued as I have not known about the bacha posh. I do want to read this one to see how simple can the writing be and I would also like to read the one for adults to note the diffrence. This review reminded me of 40 rules of love by Elie Shafak and there it was, the mention of it, at the end of the post. What a co-incidence!
I think these settings of Middle East, Turkey, Afghanistan, etc have very similar cultural influences popping out in the story, making these books seem familiar to us. This concept of Baccha Posh is there in so many of these books and I think I am a bit bored of reading about it as a large part of the plot line.
The story concept definitely sounds interesting. I don’t know too much about the concept, but it sounds intriguing enough to read about.
I picked it up as I have liked her previous book a lot. This one is for younger readers in my opinion but nevertheless a quick light read.