Published by Petra Books on May 15, 2019
Genres: Fiction, Short Stories (single author), Women, Family & Relationships
Pages: 182
Format: eBook
Source: ARC
Goodreads
This captivating collection offers insights into the lives of Syrian brides-to-be and married women. With warmth and humor, the stories reveal the oppression found in Syrian society, and raise issues such as domestic violence.
Admittedly, this is not a book I would have picked up on my own right now and yet I’m so glad the author graciously provided a review copy in exchange for an honest review. A collection of short stories illustrating the everyday life of married women in Aleppo, Syria, Syrian Brides was a quick, humorous read with stories that still elicit a smile when I think about them. Each story was around the length of a chapter and standalone which made it easy to pick up in between tasks like dinner, baby wrangling, and nap time.
I would not have guessed this was a debut for author Anna Halabi. I enjoyed the short little snippets and was fascinated by the intricacies of a culture so different from my own. Um Hussam was an outrageous character. I was caught between uproarious laughter and mortification when she suggested she needed to grope a bridal candidate to ensure the girl had all her original parts. I’m still cracking up as I think about it. I’m so very glad my MIL didn’t cop a feel during our first time meeting. My favorite story was “Nobody’s Wife” which featured an unknown female that outfoxes two businessmen.
I was so thankful for the handy endnotes that contained definitions for the terms I was not familiar with. I think I would have preferred reading this work and others like it in print so I had access to footnotes on the pages so I didn’t have to confuse my kindle by flipping back and forth.
I feel like the end story could have had more of an impact with more time to develop and show the relationship between Nawal and her husband Bilal. I wanted to be shown why she was so completely ready to give up her husband. The overarching concept of the story resonates beyond just Syrian marriages and I really appreciated the ending.
If anything, I felt most of the stories could have been longer and I truly mean that as a compliment. I would love to read even a novella or full-length novel to see Anna’s colorful characters develop and grow to their full potential. I would even enjoy reading about a character like Um Hussam in a series of connected short stories featuring her bridal search antics similar to Helene Tursten’s An Elderly Lady Up To No Good. Bottom line, I found this book to be very entertaining and I will be keeping an eye out for her work in the future.
*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
