Review of Salt and Pepper
-
Candid reviews
- Posts: 14
- Joined: 17 Oct 2021, 09:37
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 87
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-candid-reviews.html
- Latest Review: Just Die by E Alan Fleischauer
Review of Salt and Pepper
[Following is a volunteer review of "Salt and Pepper" by Maria Akhanji.]
Salt and Pepper: BrideMaids by Maria Akhanji is a fantastic, meaningful, and relevant story about a woman who had no choice but to accept and obey the social and religious norms of society for her survival.
Ranya is a Muslim British Bangladeshi living in London with her brother- and sister-in-law. She has always been a passive girl who does what is expected of her. When her brother and sister-in-law informed her that a guy was coming to see her for her wedding, she did what was expected of her and said yes. But as for Ranya, she sees this marriage as a chance to leave her home where she lives in fear of her brother and sister-in-law. Though she is worried about her future, she cannot avoid being married even after her friend Lilly informs her that the groom's family just wants a bride who can do all the work as a maid. Despite her best efforts, things didn't work out as she had hoped, and she could never live up to and satisfy the demands of her husband's family. The plot of the book revolves around whether Ranya will remain in her current position and take on the burden of her in-laws, as other women have, or whether will she stand up for herself and voice her opinions.
Although the book moves slowly, it focuses on Ranya’s toxic and tragic story in detail. The book tells the stories of many women who, mostly, have no one to listen to them. It portrays the lives of those whose freedom has been taken from them and whose hopes and dreams are meaningless to others, including their family members. The book showed the harsh reality women faced in Desi households. Even in this modern century, many women still deal with this sensitive issue. Reading it made me feel both angry and emotional. Our society is gradually changing and becoming more progressive, with no gender being superior or inferior. Yet, we see our mothers, grandmothers, or other female family members working hard to maintain the house and everything in order. However, they are never given the credit they deserve.
The book handles sensitive issues and in my opinion it couldn’t be done better than this, hence there was nothing I disliked about the book also considering that the book is professionally edited.
The author’s efforts to bring in the rawness of domestic issues faced by Ranya are splendid. The story will keep you hooked until the very end. Both the plot and writing style is easy to follow. The characters all felt very genuine, with depth and significance. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars due to the above-mentioned reasons.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to read domestic fiction and wants to gain a deeper understanding of society's harsher aspects, though it is not recommendable to anyone who is not comfortable with reading slight profanity.
******
Salt and Pepper
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Salt and Pepper: BrideMaids by Maria Akhanji is a fantastic, meaningful, and relevant story about a woman who had no choice but to accept and obey the social and religious norms of society for her survival.
Ranya is a Muslim British Bangladeshi living in London with her brother- and sister-in-law. She has always been a passive girl who does what is expected of her. When her brother and sister-in-law informed her that a guy was coming to see her for her wedding, she did what was expected of her and said yes. But as for Ranya, she sees this marriage as a chance to leave her home where she lives in fear of her brother and sister-in-law. Though she is worried about her future, she cannot avoid being married even after her friend Lilly informs her that the groom's family just wants a bride who can do all the work as a maid. Despite her best efforts, things didn't work out as she had hoped, and she could never live up to and satisfy the demands of her husband's family. The plot of the book revolves around whether Ranya will remain in her current position and take on the burden of her in-laws, as other women have, or whether will she stand up for herself and voice her opinions.
Although the book moves slowly, it focuses on Ranya’s toxic and tragic story in detail. The book tells the stories of many women who, mostly, have no one to listen to them. It portrays the lives of those whose freedom has been taken from them and whose hopes and dreams are meaningless to others, including their family members. The book showed the harsh reality women faced in Desi households. Even in this modern century, many women still deal with this sensitive issue. Reading it made me feel both angry and emotional. Our society is gradually changing and becoming more progressive, with no gender being superior or inferior. Yet, we see our mothers, grandmothers, or other female family members working hard to maintain the house and everything in order. However, they are never given the credit they deserve.
The book handles sensitive issues and in my opinion it couldn’t be done better than this, hence there was nothing I disliked about the book also considering that the book is professionally edited.
The author’s efforts to bring in the rawness of domestic issues faced by Ranya are splendid. The story will keep you hooked until the very end. Both the plot and writing style is easy to follow. The characters all felt very genuine, with depth and significance. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars due to the above-mentioned reasons.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to read domestic fiction and wants to gain a deeper understanding of society's harsher aspects, though it is not recommendable to anyone who is not comfortable with reading slight profanity.
******
Salt and Pepper
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Just Die by E Alan Fleischauer
