Anna HALABI : Syrian brides

This captivating collection offers insights into the lives of Syrian brides-to-be and married women. With warmth and humor, the stories reveal the oppression found in Syrian society, and raises issues such as domestic violence.

 

 

Anna Halabi was kind enough to send me a copy of her short story collection last year and... I rated it but forgot to publish the review, shame on me, I only realized it today !

I had never read anything from Syria previously, so I was very curious and happy to receive this little book filled with 11 snippets of how Syrian women live their daily lives, particularly when they are dealing with violent and/or demanding men. Even if some stories deal with this violence, the women are not just waiting for things to get better, they make things change with cleverness and by banding together, like this woman who helps her neighbour by sending her food via a basket sent through the window without even seeing her. These tales reminded me of Scheherazade, with an added pinch of humour - the first story made me laugh so much !

I highly recommend this book, it's a very good discovery :)