Book Review: A House without Windows

Title: A House without Windows

Author: Nadia Hashimi

Genre: Fiction, Cultural

Rate: 

Nadia is an American born author with Afghani roots. She was born and raised in New York and New Jersey; her parents are both Afghani bred, and fled from the country in the early 70s before the Soviet invasion. Nadia’s book, A House Without Windows, is a splendid rendition of the realities that actually still exist in the modern day. She truly transforms you into that absurd world with her powerful commentary.

 

 

The story is told from the point of view of an abused wife, Zeba. A mother of four hungry and sometimes sickly children. Her mundane daily life comprised of regular household chores, cooking more from less, and hiding behind a perfectly filtered facade although regularly being subjected to physical abuse by the drunken husband. Zeba had mastered the latter two; living a Champagne life in a beer budget, and hiding her misery behind an alluring smile. Her humdrum life was interrupted one morning when her eldest son, Bashir, returned home to the screams of his baby sister Rima, only to find his mother, next to his dead father, with the spurt of his crimson painting the backyard. Kamal was dead.

 

 

Who could have done something so terrible, something as ghastly as burying a hatchet to his skull?

Was she the one? Or wasn’t she? And why?

 

 

Zeba was aghast; unable to comprehend the magnitude of what had just happened. Her innocent children swore that their mother was incapable of committing something this horrific. But Kamal’s family believed otherwise; convinced that she was the one to blame, and desperate to avenge the death of their son demanding rightful justice. Zeba, barely managed to escape the vindictive mob, only to be arrested and imprisoned.

 

 

Whilst passing the day and waiting for her trail in the bleak cells of the prison, Zeba encounters a group of women who were living testimonies to the atrocities of her society. Each one had a story more heart wrenching than the other. Eighteen year old Nafisa was there to protect herself from “honor killing”. A 25 year old Latifa, left home as a teenager because she felt the prison to be a safer shelter than her own home. Pregnant, unmarried and alone, Mezghan is awaiting a court order to be reunited with her lover. What is life for women if they are incarcerated for sheer acts of self-defense, self protection or for being vulnerable in love. Why is the system so obscenely inhumane to woman? Sadly, as Zeba insightfully indicates via her love for writing couplets, is true to its every word.

    “What good is a woman’s telling of truth

    When nothing she says will be taken as proof?”

 

 

 

For Zeba and many other women in the prison, Chil Mahtab is their haven, a home away from home. It is far from all the obnoxious social rules of this unforgiving world; it where where they found comfort in each other’s sorrow, forming a lively and lasting sisterhood.

 

While the novel brings multiple characters to life; two of the most intriguing characters, were Gulnaz and Yusuf.

 

Yusuf, is an Afghan born American lawyer. After having lived briefly  in Afghanistan as a child, Yusuf and his family moved to America for better opportunities. He demonstrated a rare and deep desire to make a difference in the real world; a sense of raw energy bursting to accomplish something meaningful, which eventually draws him to his birthplace.

 

 

His first case upon his return, is Zeba’s; challenging, and dry. Having lived away for so long, Yusuf’s Afghani instincts seemed quite faded; nevertheless he worked hard and diligently on the case. For the most part, Zeba remained mum, not making it any easier for Yusuf to figure out why an average woman, who is a loving mother and was well respected and loved by her neighbours, would suddenly do something so eccentric. He had no other option but to knock doors and speak with neighbours, which eventually  leads him to some clues that help his cause.

 

 

The second character Gulnaz, is Zeba’s mother. Even though she is just a secondary character in the plot, I felt like she was extremely influential to the story as well as in shaping Zeba’s character. Gulnaz was infamous for being an expert at spells and making things go her way. She had unusually beautiful green eyes; uncommon, but mesmerizing nevertheless.

Who and what Zeba had become, and why and how she landed in that courtyard of blood, is all a complex tale of personalities, history and influence; and all of it began in Gulnaz’s childhood.

 

In my humble opinion, this book albeit a mystery , is far from the stereotypical murder mystery; it is more on the lines of a commentary on the societal and political gimmicks of Afghanistan. Having said this, Nadia has written this piece without having strong bias against the culture of the nation. This makes it more like a factual read and letting the reader form their own opinion. I for one, thought it to be a powerful story of a woman’s struggle; and would not be surprised if parts of it were not purely fictional.

 

 

After thoughts:

 

I’m sure for most westerners, and the free sprits like myself, it is a struggle to understand what “honor” means to such a society. One of the lines mentions:

             “Girls without honor were better off dead, many thought.”

 

 

It is baffling to me that the rule of honor applies only to women. If a woman is raped, it lowers her honor in the society. But if a man mistreats his woman; which seems to be a common and accepted affair, does not lower his honor in any way. What kind of a hypocritical society is such? And how someone can think that it is okay to kill a fellow human being in the name of honor, is beyond my logical and compassionate comprehension. However, Ms Nadia has probably written this piece only to show us how some people may fight against it, but many will accept it and will continue to live maintaining status quo.

 

Food for thought, I guess.