20/11/2023
When there was no Moon: Irma Fritz
Equal opportunities, girls forced to
marry a chosen partner, human rights banned and barred and honor killing paramount. Imagine growing up in a world where girls were told to do mending, farm work, and other chores, and reading and school were forbidden. Pakistan is our location and moral laws in question and Islam according to the author's research calls murder a heinous crime, it also considers it a private matter and solved by using Sharia Law. Meet Samina and Nasir using alternating chapters to present their viewpoints, as you will take part in what you might call the prologue titled: cause of Death Woman when you hear a woman scream and a man catches her beating her to death some taking pictures of cellphones and others while wondering her crime. To restore the family's honor, she's beaten to death and the final words will haunt you. As the story begins and we meet Samina and Nasir we will later understand what happened in the beginning when the murder of a woman or girl by a male family member justifies his actions by claiming as in this case that the victim brought dishonor upon the family name or prestige.
Samina is a young girl living in a hard work filled with rules, chores, and a government school that is too far away as she pines for one closer by. Little Bird is what he calls her, and little did she know that although Nasir is much older their lives will blend as one. Khusa is her town, and her parents are on two different sides of the fence until it all changes. She has her school and teacher within a year what she learned is more than others in a lifetime.
A farmer, with a wife and two sons Nasir tells of his life planting cotton, rice fields, and wheat stalks, and the prideful women ate his primary workers and children.
Each chapter within the first 5 allows us to understand Nasir and his family with ng as a unit plus Samina and her family are not quite as receptive poking fun at her and her father allowing her to attend middle school for his purposes that will help him save money.
Then Samina becomes a woman, and her sisters and brothers are mean and cruel with their comments. But now she can wear and get her dupatta, which is also called chunky, chunari, and Sundari. A long shawl scarf is worn to cover their heads and shoulders. When Nasir sees her his mind goes in many different directions, but he does not comment and has a talk with her father about the government and more about Bhutto's historic landform and saving his lands by dividing them he kept the legal portion and dividing the rest of the holdings to his stepbrothers. Heated discussions about the land and its divisions of it and Nasir is worried that Qamar will want to marry Samina to the wrong family and make it her downfall waiting all that she's learned. A country with tough and at times unjust customs as the author takes us into
Nasir's thinking and how Samina will understand how the rain helps the soil and fills the canals and reservoirs and more. Yet Qamar is narrow-minded and sticks to old ways and his attitude his thoughts about his disputes with his brothers and how they each work his land alone. A dysfunctional family and how his family is the opposite. Zamil his wife created a serious rift in the family and a family that was united had to live apart for the safety of the children. Nasir has decisions to make and Samina's family needed help from outside to work on the farm. Her teacher's son was one helper and he liked one of her sisters, but will it work out?
Fear, discipline, and cast out if a girl dared to defy her father's choice for a husband. The underlying Abu did his daughter and then both sisters a double wedding, one to wed a cousin and the other a cobbler just to care for his children. Some customs seem cruel and arranged marriages unyielding.
Author Irma Fritz brings to the surface the indignities, abuse verbal and physical that women face living in a country where their rights are controlled by parents who make arranged marriages for the benefit of the child but for their own selfish needs. Freedom of speech and the right to choose are just two of the horrors girls face growing up in a country that is cold and heartless and more.
Nasir and Samina meet undercover and hope that they will be as one, but Zamil is the barrier as he shares spring celebration, his pride in his sons, and Samina the fear of marrying her cruel cousin for her father's financial benefit. Plus, her hope of becoming a teacher would be gone. Parents never consider their children's wishes or opinions.
Terror strikes when Raheebah and Dhaki disappear and decide to elope leaving Esmeray you scream and fight with Samina even though she knew what was going to happen. Two sisters never come together as one and a family so angered and so narrow-minded they sought and seek revenge. What kind of family kills a child for wanting happiness? What sunt takes the niece's choice as a criminal and takes all she had?
Nasir and Zamil have it out and the result widens the gap, but will his deed allow him freedom? What about Samina?
Then Nasir has to deal with the family of his wife and whether will he pay for her death and his will Samina react.
Nasir has to quarantine so to speak until his lawyer can deal with her family and yet he relives his life with her and why his sons are special but talking to the young child who does not speak gives him an undivided audience without casting his opinions or hoping Allah will come closer to him.
When Raheebah is found and Dhaki deserted her instead of embracing her return the father and sons take revenge on her because she tried to flee from her commitment to a marriage she did not want. Even though she did not marry Dhaki it was still a stigma and the money promised to the father Amu would not come. What will he do when he learns about Samina and Nasir’ A story so tragic, so devastating about a father who was unyielding, insensitive and refused to give any respect to the women in his life and trained his sons to downplay and disrespect even their mother at times Ammu suffers at the hand of her sons and husband and the ending will bring us back to the first chapter but first learn of the deception, cruelty, and lies told by a father. Learn about the greed, hatred, and dishonor a father bestows on his daughters. Learn that living without choices, having to do a man’s bidding, and not being able to voice your opinions one girl Samina who was filled with joy, and love, adored her husband and her sons learned the true meaning of what happens when the world grows dark and mother whispers her final wishes into her daughter’s ear as the darkness creates a shadow over one man and his family when you look up into the sky and realize what happens WHEN THERE IS NO MOON! In an evil world where men promise to honor and protect their women and one young girl rises above and teaches so many. Children need to embrace education, work, honor and love those that are within their grasp and understand the reason for living is love. Author Irma Fritz brings us so many life lessons not only for the girls who suffered at Amu’s hand but for those here and in every country to embrace their freedoms and more.
Fran Lewis: Just reviews
