If men can, can women not fall in love or remarry? If a marriage does not work, why are women at fault alone? Why does society kill women alone in the name of honour, not men? If mothers want to start new lives or relationships, then cannot kids support them? Why do people categorize love as legal or illegal? Why do relatives or friends misguide a teen in the disguise of care? These are a few questions that popped up in my head when I read the book Honor of Elif Shafaq. It’s a book review of Honor of Elif Shafak on honour killing.
Of the Book, What are the Characters?
- Pembe is curious, asks questions, and dislikes restrictions. She has passion, and ambition, and wants to see different parts of the world. She has the nerve to pursue her heart and not focus on what others think about her. She has long wavy chestnut hair. Her green eyes glow with a condescending sparkle. She keeps secrets, words she does not tell anyone, and tears she does not shed. Her face is like an open book. Her marriage is indifference, no love, a duty.
Her full lips and dimple attract others. She is simple, innocent, childlike, and earnest. She works at a hairdresser’s and raises her kids alone. Her favourite colour is amethyst. She loves singing old Kurdish songs in her amazing voice. Her dress and how she carries herself, make her look older.
- Iskender has skin the colour of warm sand. His wavy dark hair shone like stardust. His eyes glitter with mischief and he smiles in ways copious, winning hearts. He walks with straight shoulders, raised chin, and a slight forward thrust. He takes risks. He matures late and wants others to serve him. He is rowdy and so fast that his parents cannot catch up with him. The name means someone invincible. Somebody with a strong will, and preside over others.
The first child is the apple of the mother’s eye. His favourite colour is blue. At a certain stage of life, he stammers. And he thinks that he is the head of the house. He craves to control the world. He has anger issues and gets into fights with ease. He harms himself. The black sports on a calendar remind him of the kohl his mother uses to outline her eyes.
He tells Esma things he never shares with others. He is a trained boxer. He remembers his mother so much that he feels he needs space from her memories as they drive him insane. He is full of himself, he stays with his groupies and thinks he leads gangs. The hunk with an olive complexion and smouldering eyes has zeal in his voice, dare in his eyes, and hunger in his soul. He closes up when someone asks questions he does not want to answer. People close to him cannot grasp some sides of him. He has no time for books but believes slang has power.
His story is about loss, seizures, and resentment. His narrative has migraines, epileptic fits, and panic attacks. Psychoses, anxiety attacks, and suicide attempts. It has violence, bullying, guilt, and ego. He believes that one can become wrong and at fault but not weak. Weakness gives the world a chance to step on you. He hallucinates about his mother.
From the Book, What Do You Choose, Team Pembe or Team Iskender?
This is a rare story because I cannot choose between Alex and Pembe this time. For me, Honor is the story of the mother and the son both. Being a woman, I relate to Pembe. But I cannot say that Iskender is wrong anywhere. The person he is and the things he does anyone would do the same if they were in his place.
The story is incomplete without either of them. So, the readers can read the story and tell me which team they are. Team Alex or team Pembe. I will keep the comment section open for you all the time.
In the Book, Do You Have a Favourite Character?
Yunus has auburn hair that curls at the ends and freckles across the cheeks. His ears stuck out and he has soft and kind eyes. These features give him a boyish charm. His eyes change from moss-green to myrtle. The 7-years-old is different, introverted, a philosopher, dreamer, hermit, and imaginative. He belongs to himself alone and hates no one. He is comfortable in his skin and retreats into his inner self. He is so complete that he needs no distraction.
He wants to understand the world. I like this character because of his innocence and the love he has for everyone. Even at such an age, he is compassionate, understanding, and mature. It’s a book review of Honor of Elif Shafak on honour killing.
Does The Book Have A Character You Relate to?
Esma is aloof and feels like the odd 1 out. The downtrodden draw her. Yet, these character traits are not because of whom I could relate to. I felt an instant connection to her because she loves language like me. She collects impressions that she is not familiar with and makes them hers.
She loves words, their hidden meanings, and sounds. Like me, she reads a lot of books. She wants to become a writer.
Of the Book, What is the Theme?
This story centres around the relationship between Pembe and Iskender. I say this because she favours him more. The theme of the book is chauvinism. For example, Tariq and the Orator. Yet, I object to this world. When a husband has an affair, everyone lets him do what he wants to. But if a wife wants to end a loveless marriage, everyone turns against her. When she wishes to remarry, they attach the following words with her:
- Shame
- Guilt
- Honour
- Modesty
Is this bias fair?
In the Book, Do You Have A Favorite Dialogue or Part?
I like how the author describes Elias’s love for the heroine in the following words:
He felt the enigmatic, unfathomable attraction for her. And it was like a childhood memory coming back. He wanted to protect and love her against the world. What he felt for her was different. She was his gateway to a world more real. The possibility of losing her added to his aching desire for her. She connected him to his ancestors, past, and his Eastern side. And she was the missing link in his life. Her love made up for the lost time and the lost pieces.
The Book Honor of Elif Shafak
The following dialogue of the heroine is my favourite:
It was like I always knew him when I met him. I could not put a word to this feeling. I tried not to think of him but I failed. Once, you saw yourself through your beloved’s eyes, you are not the same person anymore.
The Book Honor of Elif Shafak
So, this is my book review of Honor of Elif Shafaq. And the book centres on honour killing.
My rebellious world 