The Pearl that Broke Its Shell: A Novel
*Starred Review* Hashimi&#x2019;s first novel tells the story of two young Afghan women, separated by a century, who disguise themselves as boys in order to survive. In 2007, nine-year-old Rahima, the middle child among five daughters, becomes a bacha posh, a girl who dresses as a boy so that she can run to the market and escort her sisters when they leave the house. Rahima enjoys incredible freedoms as a boy, from attending school to roughhousing with children her age, but it all comes to an abrupt end when Abdul Khaliq, a vicious warlord, decides he wants her for his wife. Only 13 when she&#x2019;s forced to marry Abdul Khaliq, Rahima draws her strength from her aunt&#x2019;s tales of her ancestor Shekiba, who as a young girl was scarred by kitchen oil and was reviled by her extended family after the death of her parents and siblings. Shekiba eventually found unlikely refuge in the king&#x2019;s palace in Kabul, dressing as a man to guard the king&#x2019;s harem. Alternating between Rahima and Shekiba&#x2019;s stories, Hashimi weaves together two equally engrossing stories in her epic, spellbinding debut. --Kristine Huntley