An unforgettable heroine set like a fine jewel in a wonderfully wrought book. Map, pronouncing list of names, glossary.
Using the present tense and the voice of Shabanu herself, this splendid first novel takes the reader, with astonishing immediacy, into the life and mind of a courageous, intelligent Pakistani girl.
Born to a close-knit family of camel herders in the Cholistan Desert, Shabanu and her sister are promised to two brothers, well known to the girls because they are their cousins. But a disaster—arising from the very nature, of their traditional, paternalistic society, where custom is often more powerful than the rule of law and cruelty is commonplace—changes this plan, and Shabanu is faced with marriage to a wealthy old man, as his fourth wife. This sets her a lonely choice: it may be possible to escape, but only at great cost to the rest of her beloved family. Staples, who spent years in Pakistan as a UPI correspondent, writes beautifully. She includes a wealth of fascinating detail that gives her story authenticity and a strong sense of place, with no trace of didacticism. Her characters are individual in their strengths and idiosyncrasies, universal in their goals and needs, and representative of their unique culture—which the author perceives with clear-eyed affection, even as she makes vivid the status of women whose chief duty is obedience and whose destinies are entirely in the hands of their men.
An unforgettable heroine set like a fine jewel in a wonderfully wrought book. Map, pronouncing list of names, glossary.Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1989
ISBN: 978-0-307-97788-5
Page Count: 290
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Nov. 12, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1989
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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