New Book Alert: In Women We Trust by N.H. Sakiha; Important Book That Reveals The Struggles That Women Still Face

 

New Book Alert: In Women We Trust by N.H. Sakiha; Important Book That Reveals The Struggles That Women Still Face

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: It's no secret that while women have made great strides in some countries, even gaining leadership positions and have been able to openly argue for their rights, (and even in those countries, women still have to fight for their rights as seen in certain laws recently passed in a certain state), in many other countries, they are still lagging behind. N.H. Sakiha's fact based novel, In Women We Trust, reveals just such a situation.

Based on true events, the book is set in Pakistan and focuses on Gul and Badri, the children of housekeeper Zara Bibi. While accompanying his mother to the home of her employer, Sardar Timur Barlas, Gul is seduced by Sardar's daughter, Farrah. When the two are caught in private in a very compromising position, Gul is held before the public, whipped, humiliated, and arrested. 

To add insult to injury, Badri is also punished for her brother's crime even though she wasn't even at the estate when it happened. Instead, she is punished mostly for receiving an education, for being outspoken, and is seen as an example to young women and their parents. This case eventually becomes a cause celebre as many of the people in the highest positions including millionaires, journalists, politicians, and priests weigh in their opinions about this situation and what it means for families and the dynamics between male and female. 

In many of the best novels based on real life issues, the authors build complex issues around memorable characters who are not only well written as individuals, but stand for all real life people who live under these conditions. In Women We Trust does that rather well by giving us powerful leads in Badri and Gul.

Badri's introduction chapter reveals the world that she lives in and her inner strength in surviving it. Most of the book is told in flashbacks, so we see Badri in prison. She has been beaten, raped, assaulted, and treated like an animal, all for the supposed crime of being a woman. She is disgraced by society and feels unloved by her parents as they treat her like a pariah. During her imprisonment, she has a dream or vision of her grandmother, Mimi Jan,the only family member who valued her. MImi Jan reminds her granddaughter about her inner strength and courage. The vision gives her a will to fight.

 In one key moment, Mimi Jan tells Badri a familiar story about a man who falls in love with a fairy woman and steals her feathery wings to hold onto her. This is a frequently told fairy tale with variations told around the world. In fact, one of the most well known versions is told in Arabic lore about the Peri, a species of female fairies with feathered wings. The Peri's wings are stolen and she is kept by the man who stole them and forced to marry her. He hides the wings to keep her captive and so she doesn't remember her real identity. Years later (sometimes after giving birth to children), the Peri is told about the wings and she puts them on, leaving her husband behind. Her husband succumbs to madness because of his association with the fairy woman. (Another variation of this story can also be found in my review of Tales From The Hinterland by Melissa Albert.)

This Peri story is told by Mimi Jan as part of a longer story about a legendary prince and his lineage. While Mimi Jan's version leaves out the dark disturbing ending, the story of a fairy woman is an archetype and metaphor for the real life situation between men and women found within the book. Men in the book want to keep their women in captivity, while many of the women want to find their identities and self actualization. They want to be recognized as the focus of their stories, not as a stumbling block scapegoat or a femme fatale leading men to destruction.

This is the bravery that Badri displays throughout the book particularly during her imprisonment, the courage that says that she is a person and deserves to be treated as an equal. One of Badri's strongest chapters occurs while she is raped by a prison guard. He violates her and tries to break her spirit, but Badri stands her ground. She argues that she is not a slut or a whore and challenges both the guard and Sardar for their behavior towards her, the guard for the rape and Sardar for dismissing her.

While Badri is the main woman in the story, she isn't the only woman who is forced to take on a subservient role in this society. Many of the men in charge swear by a status quo that requires men and women to be treated separately. There are men like Sardar and the Imam Mullah Aziz who delight in the finest homes and reputations that Pakistani society has to offer. They dominate and control their homes with iron fists. When Sardar first learns about the encounter between Farrah and Gul, he vows to kill Farrah until she tells him what he wants to hear. Aziz openly insults and verbally abuses his wife in front of her children, treating her like a servant. The Prime Minister is in the middle of a scandal in which he promised to give a female French reporter, Arlette Baudis, a cell phone so they can exchange in private conversations. Many of these men brag about their sexual exploits while paying lip service to family values. (sound familiar?)

Even some men who don't take an active role in maligning women are still involved in the false perception of and domination towards women. Badri and Gul's father, Shams had little contact with his children before the trial and was unaware that his daughter was going to school. While he pleads for Gul's life, he is less interested in Badri's and finally accepts the punishments that they have been given.

Even a more enlightened character like agent, Aamir Shah who works alongside Arlette to expose the Prime Minister and give the Gul and Badri story worldwide coverage, still has shades of being a man caught up in his own sexist views. He mistakes a successful attractive businesswoman for a prostitute and can't resist belittling Arlette's provocative feminist views.

 Just like in real life situations, the men are often aided by conservative women who prefer to uphold the status quo. Sardar's wife, Sarah Kunam can be just as cruel as her domineering abusive husband. Since the household is supposed to be the woman's sphere, she whips and beats her servants like Zara Bibi to maintain control. She also beats Farrah to force her to say that Gul tried to rape her to take the blame off of her daughter. 

Similar to her husband, Zara Bibi becomes passive towards the treatment towards her children. Even though she pleads for their case, she reluctantly accepts their imprisonment falling into despair. While she isn't intentionally cruel, her passive acceptance towards this unfair treatment is a factor.

 

Another situation in this book that mirrors real life is that when one group is marginalized, others are as well. Many hate groups such as the Ku Klux Klan begin by attacking African Americans, but they have also attacked and fought against people of Jewish faith, Communists, LGBT people, and have definite views about the restrictive roles for women. Once one group is maligned and attacked, it becomes easy for hate groups and those in charge to do the same to others. (Think how many individuals and groups that Trump and his supporters have vilified and threatened.)

We see that In Women We Trust as the attacks are spread to others like the impoverished and those with disabilities. Gul's account is not believed because he is the son of a servant and in their eyes is unworthy of justice. Part of the reasons that Shams and Zara Bibi acquiesce to their children's imprisonment is because of their status as servants. They would have nowhere to go and would become beggars.

Gul's abuse is particularly cruel because of his poor status. Many wealthy men with connections get away with being alone with women and young girls, but Gul is made an example of. He is poor so is treated as less than human. His public punishment deprives him of his humanity as he is forced to wear a leash and is beaten before an audience.

Another servant who is treated very lowly is Chaman, a young eunuch. He stands outside of society, often mocked, derided, suspected of being a thief, and often ignored. He is seen and expected to be in the background if he is permitted to exist at all. However, Chaman is able to bring himself forward as a star witness to Gul's trial. Even though Chaman is vile, it's easy to understand why he chooses to act as he does. For the first time, he is listened to and is made important. 

While the situation is dour, there are some who fight against the circumstances. Farrah could be seen as a villain, since her seduction of Gul is what started the whole thing. Even though she seduces the young boy, she is mostly doing it out of curiosity, boredom, and frustration. She wants to do what most men do, take someone just because they can. Her seduction of Gul is her claim to take charge and assume any kind of leadership position. For once in her life, she gets to have power over someone else and a young man at that.

Another female character that challenges the status quo is Arlette. She is a very argumentative capable character. She gives Aamir her reasons over why she fights for equal rights for women and how she has seen such inequality in her own life and experiences, such as how men like the Prime Minister attempt to sexually assault her. She is the type of person who continues to do her job and to be a voice for those who can't speak for themselves. Perhaps, she is the type of woman Badri could become if she retains her fighting spirit.

Because of its close proximity to real life events, In Women We Trust, is very realistic on what the outcome of this trial could be. In a society in which such inequality exists and is filled with people of the highest echelon that refuse to let the status quo get shaken, anything but a guilty verdict is impossible to imagine. However, because of how public this case has become and because many are swayed by the poor treatment that Badri and Gul receive, there is an underground tension that is threatening to explode by people who are angry with being demonized and treated like second class citizens. Sometimes, the only way to change things is to express anger and outrage and force people to listen. 

What is apparent is this case of In Women We Trust ends up not just being about Badri and Gul. It is about all oppressed people, especially women, who have been forced into silence and have been dehumanized. They are finally ready to speak, stand up, and be counted as equal individuals.