novel Lover

Etaf Rum's novel A Woman Is No Man:
This novel is set between 1997 and 2007. It tells a story of three Arab women pertaing to the same family but to differnent generations. It, therefore, has three protaginists: Isra, Farida, and Deya. Each of these female protagonists has a unique story. For Isra, which belongs to the second generation, life is so difficult and unfair. She opens her eyes in a Palestinean family, which lives on the hilltop. Isra is sensitive and overthinker. She is married off by her parents when she is 17 to an Arabe-American man named Ahmed. Isra thinks that her life in America with Ahmed is going to be better. She thinks that she will have more freedom. However, it turns out that she goes from worse to the worst. Ahmed never likes her. He comes back from work and do not even talk to her. Her mother-in-law Farida treats her as though she is a slave. Isra soothes her sadness with some reading. Sarah, Ahmed's sister, brings her some books secretly. Isra thinks that gives birth to a baby girl, dena. Right after Dena's birth, Ahmed starts beating Isra, thinking that she is mistaken to give birth to baby girl. Farida, ln the other hand, adds fuel to fire with her sharp tongue. She always mocks Isra for not being able to give birth to a baby boy. Farida urges Isra to get pregnant soon. Isra, a submissive and muted young girl, gives birth to another girl. Then, Ahmed starts beating her on the daily basis. He comes home drunk and beats her up. Farida tells Isra to put make up on her bruises for fear that her kids will see that. Isra's life gets worse when she gives birth to two more baby girls. Ahmed, one day, comes at home drunk. He then statrs to beat Isra till she died. Ahmed, severely influence by what he did, he committes su***de. As for Farida, she has somehow a harsh life. She lives with her husband in camps because of the Israeli colonialism of Palestinian lands. Afterwards, she and her husband manages to escape country and go to the United States of America. To be more specific, they go to Brooklyn where they, following faithfully their Arabe culture. Farida is a victim and a victimizer. Her husband beats her on different occasions. She in turn treats her daughter in law as if she is her enemy. Farida urges her daughter Sarah to marry, yet the latter vehemently refuses. Farida does not treat her children equally. She treats boys with affection and tolerance while she uses vulgar language with her daughter, Sraha. The latter flees from home because she does not want to marry. After Sarah leaves the house, Farida's conduct towrd Isra does not change. She keeps blaming her for giving birth only to girls. When Isra's daughters grow, Farida tells them that their parents die due to a car accident. As for the third protagonist Dena, she is the Isra's first daughter. She grows with her grandparents, beleiving that her parents die in car accident. When dena is 17 years old, Farida wants to marry her off. However, dena does not succomb to her grandmother's order. She all the time resists even to sit with suiters. One day, dena receives a letter and a card. That letter is written by Sarah. The latter is working in a bookstore. Dena goes to the bookstore, and finds Sarah there. Sarah brings to the surfqce her parents' secret. Dena is shocked when she hears that hef parents do not die in car accident. She goes to her grandparents and confronts them with it. Her grandmother is shameful just like her grandfather. Dena threatens them with the idea of leaving the house with her sisters. Thus, Farida and her husband allows her to continue her studies. They no longer talk to her about marriage.