A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum is a contemporary multigeneration fiction novel that takes place across two separate timelines with the life of Isra, her daughter Deya, and her mother-in-law Fareeda. Isra is married to Adam through an arranged marriage and quickly moves to New York. Her experience is heartbreaking and is a roller coaster of hope and disappointment. Isra struggles to produce a male heir and to understand her place in the world.
This book is a tough reflection on identity and really what “a woman’s place” is. Deya is coming of age where her grandmother, Fareeda, has begun to try and arrange a marriage for her. Deya’s story takes place 18 years after Isra’s initial reflection on her life. This book transitions from a traditional conventional contemporary fiction to a bit of a murder mystery.
This book was so good that I stopped listening to the audiobook in the last quarter of the book, so that I could read faster than the narrator. I will note that this book is very heavy and is not a light beach read. If you’re looking for hefty piece of fiction that challenges you and maybe makes you cry, then you’re in for a treat.
