This is one of those books that really makes you think and I learned so much from it.
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Zeba tells her true story of growing up in an Indian family in Saudi Arabia. They follow the Islamic faith and Zeba tells us what that was like for her, particularly telling us about the challenges she faces where her parents are desperate for her to get married.
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She talks in detail about her journey and desire to forge her own path that goes against the typical route for a Muslim girl.
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Somewhere along the line, Zeba takes it into her own hands to learn more about her faith and soon learns that the obvious patriarchy isn't part of Islam at all - it's simply how it's been interpreted, by the patriarchy over the years.
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I won't tell you how Zeba's story ends (at least as far as the book is concerned!), but it's beautiful and it's so worth the read.
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What struck me most is that sometimes memoirs can be quite self-indulgent and there wasn't a hint of it in this. It was so matter of fact and honest. I didn't feel like Zeba was trying to prove a point. She was just telling her story.
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It's a short read, just shy of 200 pages and I enjoyed going on Zeba's journey with her. .
Huge thanks to @dotheworkbookclub for making it their book of choice this month - it's not one I would have been likely to find!