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A Pure Heart
A powerful novel about two Egyptian sisters--their divergent fates and the secrets of one family
Sisters Rose and Gameela Gubran could not have been more different. Rose, an Egyptologist, married an American journalist and immigrated to New York City, where she works in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Gameela, a devout Muslim since her teenage years, stayed in Cairo. During the aftermath of Egypt's revolution, Gameela is killed in a suicide bombing. When Rose returns to Egypt after the bombing, she sifts through the artifacts Gameela left behind, desperate to understand how her sister came to die, and who she truly was. Soon, Rose realizes that Gameela has left many questions unanswered. Why had she quit her job just a few months before her death and not told her family? Who was she romantically involved with? And how did the religious Gameela manage to keep so many secrets?
Rich in depth and feeling, A Pure Heart is a brilliant portrait of two Muslim women in the twenty-first century, and the decisions they make in work and love that determine their destinies. As Rose is struggling to reconcile her identities as an Egyptian and as a new American, she investigates Gameela's devotion to her religion and her country. The more Rose uncovers about her sister's life, the more she must reconcile their two fates, their inextricable bond as sisters, and who should and should not be held responsible for Gameela's death. Rajia Hassib's A Pure Heart is a stirring and deeply textured novel that asks what it means to forgive, and considers how faith, family, and love can unite and divide us.
Sisters Rose and Gameela Gubran could not have been more different. Rose, an Egyptologist, married an American journalist and immigrated to New York City, where she works in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Gameela, a devout Muslim since her teenage years, stayed in Cairo. During the aftermath of Egypt's revolution, Gameela is killed in a suicide bombing. When Rose returns to Egypt after the bombing, she sifts through the artifacts Gameela left behind, desperate to understand how her sister came to die, and who she truly was. Soon, Rose realizes that Gameela has left many questions unanswered. Why had she quit her job just a few months before her death and not told her family? Who was she romantically involved with? And how did the religious Gameela manage to keep so many secrets?
Rich in depth and feeling, A Pure Heart is a brilliant portrait of two Muslim women in the twenty-first century, and the decisions they make in work and love that determine their destinies. As Rose is struggling to reconcile her identities as an Egyptian and as a new American, she investigates Gameela's devotion to her religion and her country. The more Rose uncovers about her sister's life, the more she must reconcile their two fates, their inextricable bond as sisters, and who should and should not be held responsible for Gameela's death. Rajia Hassib's A Pure Heart is a stirring and deeply textured novel that asks what it means to forgive, and considers how faith, family, and love can unite and divide us.
317 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 6, 2019
130 people are currently reading
6380 people want to read
About the author
Rajia Hassib
3 books172 followersRajia Hassib was born and raised in Egypt and moved to the United States when she was twenty-three. Her first novel, In the Language of Miracles, was a New York Times Editors’ Choice and received an honorable mention from the Arab American Book Award. She holds an MA in creative writing from Marshall University, and she has written for The New York Times Book Review and The New Yorker online. She lives in West Virginia with her husband and two children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 193 reviews
January 4, 2024
The Gubran family led a normal, content life in Cairo. Rose and Gigi were, to Rose’s thinking, the best friends that sisters are meant to be. There would always be quarrels, but nothing to break their bond. Even as they age, pursue further education, broaden their horizons with new people and ways of life; they would surely stick together.
Thinking back, though, maybe Rose hadn’t been so supportive. Or remotely open-minded. As Gigi grew more devout and adopted some Muslim customs that Rose considered outdated; rather than addressing it with Gigi, Rose silently stewed, waiting for her little sis to ‘come to her senses’. Perhaps if she’d attempted to understand—sincerely—they may never have agreed, but neither would they have grown apart. Maybe.
Younger siblings seem to live in someone else’s shadow, making self-discovery slightly more difficult. Delving deeper into her religion may have been the best way for Gigi to create her own light. She can almost understand why her parents essentially ignore the changes they have to see in her, but Gigi is stunned when her family makes no effort to understand her disappointment and dismay with her elder sister.
First, Rose decides to marry an American. To leave Egypt for the United States. She took his last name. Her sister should be “Dr. Gubran”, as she’s always dreamed. Proudly bearing the name of the family that supported her throughout, not the surname of some folks from West Virginia.
Unless…
Did Rose make those allowances for love? That, Gigi can understand. She, too, has chosen the love of a man, but over objections from her parents and friends. Gigi may not have made the best choice, but she doesn’t know that yet. Instead, she simply sees similarities between her love-life and Rose’s. She was pleased to, once again, have something in common.
Happiness for herself is short-lived. She feels sad for Rose, who doesn’t know about this connection. Gigi envisions sharing the secret she’s carried alone for years. She must mend her relationship with Rose. She knows the perfect place to start. The American brother-in-law will be staying with her family while he is conducting interviews in Egypt for an upcoming article. Gigi vows to go above and beyond to assist him.
That is the decision that will ultimately change all of their lives.
Reading Rajia Hassib's A Pure Heart is like watching a moonflower unfurl, as dusk darkens, until the almost-iridescent, snowy-white bloom is wide open against the pitch-black night.
This review was written by jv poore for Buried Under Books, with huge thanks to Viking/Penguin books for the Advance Review Copy which will be donated to my favorite classroom library.
Thinking back, though, maybe Rose hadn’t been so supportive. Or remotely open-minded. As Gigi grew more devout and adopted some Muslim customs that Rose considered outdated; rather than addressing it with Gigi, Rose silently stewed, waiting for her little sis to ‘come to her senses’. Perhaps if she’d attempted to understand—sincerely—they may never have agreed, but neither would they have grown apart. Maybe.
Younger siblings seem to live in someone else’s shadow, making self-discovery slightly more difficult. Delving deeper into her religion may have been the best way for Gigi to create her own light. She can almost understand why her parents essentially ignore the changes they have to see in her, but Gigi is stunned when her family makes no effort to understand her disappointment and dismay with her elder sister.
First, Rose decides to marry an American. To leave Egypt for the United States. She took his last name. Her sister should be “Dr. Gubran”, as she’s always dreamed. Proudly bearing the name of the family that supported her throughout, not the surname of some folks from West Virginia.
Unless…
Did Rose make those allowances for love? That, Gigi can understand. She, too, has chosen the love of a man, but over objections from her parents and friends. Gigi may not have made the best choice, but she doesn’t know that yet. Instead, she simply sees similarities between her love-life and Rose’s. She was pleased to, once again, have something in common.
Happiness for herself is short-lived. She feels sad for Rose, who doesn’t know about this connection. Gigi envisions sharing the secret she’s carried alone for years. She must mend her relationship with Rose. She knows the perfect place to start. The American brother-in-law will be staying with her family while he is conducting interviews in Egypt for an upcoming article. Gigi vows to go above and beyond to assist him.
That is the decision that will ultimately change all of their lives.
Reading Rajia Hassib's A Pure Heart is like watching a moonflower unfurl, as dusk darkens, until the almost-iridescent, snowy-white bloom is wide open against the pitch-black night.
This review was written by jv poore for Buried Under Books, with huge thanks to Viking/Penguin books for the Advance Review Copy which will be donated to my favorite classroom library.
August 28, 2021
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2 ½ stars
A Pure Heart’s portrayal of sisterhood is tepid at best.
The needlessly expository narration, the clichéd character dynamics, and the meandering storyline didn't really grab me at all.
This novel reminded me a lot of The Other Americans and many other titles that seemed aimed at an American audience...so we have these two sisters who don't get along: one is usually very religious and perceived by the others as conservative; the other one is usually pursuing some sort of academic study, she is thought as 'unconventional', she is far more spirited/animated than her sister, and she usually ends up falling in love or marring an American guy.
Maybe I could have looked past the predictability of the story if said story had been told in an engaging or emotionally charged manner...but that wasn't the case. Here we have very flat storytelling, which provides very little nuance, and attempts to create atmosphere by describing each movement its various characters make (they sit up, they walk here, they walk there, they move their hands, the use their hands to lift objects, their legs move...) and resulting in a slog of a narrative.
There is this one scene in which perhaps the author wanted to juxtapose the tension between a group characters by over-describing all of their actions during their dinner together:
➜ “Rose pulled her hand back. She got up to carry the turkey to the countertop and, after washing her hands, started pulling pieces of meat off its carcass.”
➜ “Ingrid walked up to the cabinet, stretched to reach the box of Ziploc bags.”
➜ “Ingrid asked, taking the plates from Mark and rinsing them before putting them in the dishwasher.”
➜ “Rose glanced at Mark, who was slowly wiping the table, now cleared of plates, with a wet washcloth, his hand going from side to side, again and again, […] Mark wiped the table with a dry cloth, now rubbing it in spots, scraping at it with his thumbnail, making sure every crumb was gone, every inch was glistening,”.
Soon I was tired of reading phrases such as these:
➜ “She did not lift her eyes from her noodles, stabbing them with the fork, turning it to wrap them around its prongs.”
➜ “she opened the fridge, pulled out a cup of fruit yogurt, and ate it standing by the window.”
The non-linearity of the story also served very little purpose. Looking at past events didn't really provide us with a more in-depth portrayal of the various characters, but rather it made their shallow characterisation all the more glaring. We have the American nice-ish husband who is bland and in spite of his fixation on Egypt he will never quite understand his wife or her country; his douchebag male friend who is the stereotype of the inconsiderate bro-dude American; the eccentric Polish landlady...
The story would have benefited from having a narrower scope, giving us an insight into the psychology of the two sisters. This story could have easily been told in a more conventionally linear timeline, giving us time to familiarise ourselves with the two sisters, to see their bond shift and change over the course of their youth.
The last part of book includes the story of a character that should have either been the entire focus of this narrative or merely a 'backstage' figure...perhaps the author should have trusted her readers more as she didn't quite need to cram in a hurried narrative of a hard-working young man who ends up doing an unthinkable act of violence after he experiences hardship after hardship.
What could have been an interesting story of sisterhood and belonging ended up becoming a rather trite, and occasionally tacky, narrative that strives to be aesthetic and topical...
2 ½ stars
A Pure Heart’s portrayal of sisterhood is tepid at best.
The needlessly expository narration, the clichéd character dynamics, and the meandering storyline didn't really grab me at all.
This novel reminded me a lot of The Other Americans and many other titles that seemed aimed at an American audience...so we have these two sisters who don't get along: one is usually very religious and perceived by the others as conservative; the other one is usually pursuing some sort of academic study, she is thought as 'unconventional', she is far more spirited/animated than her sister, and she usually ends up falling in love or marring an American guy.
Maybe I could have looked past the predictability of the story if said story had been told in an engaging or emotionally charged manner...but that wasn't the case. Here we have very flat storytelling, which provides very little nuance, and attempts to create atmosphere by describing each movement its various characters make (they sit up, they walk here, they walk there, they move their hands, the use their hands to lift objects, their legs move...) and resulting in a slog of a narrative.
There is this one scene in which perhaps the author wanted to juxtapose the tension between a group characters by over-describing all of their actions during their dinner together:
➜ “Rose pulled her hand back. She got up to carry the turkey to the countertop and, after washing her hands, started pulling pieces of meat off its carcass.”
➜ “Ingrid walked up to the cabinet, stretched to reach the box of Ziploc bags.”
➜ “Ingrid asked, taking the plates from Mark and rinsing them before putting them in the dishwasher.”
➜ “Rose glanced at Mark, who was slowly wiping the table, now cleared of plates, with a wet washcloth, his hand going from side to side, again and again, […] Mark wiped the table with a dry cloth, now rubbing it in spots, scraping at it with his thumbnail, making sure every crumb was gone, every inch was glistening,”.
Soon I was tired of reading phrases such as these:
➜ “She did not lift her eyes from her noodles, stabbing them with the fork, turning it to wrap them around its prongs.”
➜ “she opened the fridge, pulled out a cup of fruit yogurt, and ate it standing by the window.”
The non-linearity of the story also served very little purpose. Looking at past events didn't really provide us with a more in-depth portrayal of the various characters, but rather it made their shallow characterisation all the more glaring. We have the American nice-ish husband who is bland and in spite of his fixation on Egypt he will never quite understand his wife or her country; his douchebag male friend who is the stereotype of the inconsiderate bro-dude American; the eccentric Polish landlady...
The story would have benefited from having a narrower scope, giving us an insight into the psychology of the two sisters. This story could have easily been told in a more conventionally linear timeline, giving us time to familiarise ourselves with the two sisters, to see their bond shift and change over the course of their youth.
The last part of book includes the story of a character that should have either been the entire focus of this narrative or merely a 'backstage' figure...perhaps the author should have trusted her readers more as she didn't quite need to cram in a hurried narrative of a hard-working young man who ends up doing an unthinkable act of violence after he experiences hardship after hardship.
What could have been an interesting story of sisterhood and belonging ended up becoming a rather trite, and occasionally tacky, narrative that strives to be aesthetic and topical...
May 21, 2022
A heart wrenching novel about choices, misunderstandings, and secrets. So often we want to be better, but we fall short of our intentions. We blame others for their faults but find justification for our own. We love, but show it too late. Beautiful prose and wonderfully complex characters. Highly recommended.
August 8, 2019
"A Pure Heart" is a beautiful exploration of grief, guilt, and how misguided faith can lead to great tragedy. Though we often want pure villains to blame, Hassib’s novel reminds us that humans are much more complex than that. Maybe there are no pure monsters. Maybe there are parts in each one of us that could be monstrous under the right circumstances. Hassib’s clear-eyed knowledge of Egyptian history and politics are impressive and skillfully handled. I loved the sections set in Egypt and New York, the rich landscapes, people, and milieu, but as a West Virginia native, I especially appreciated the WV characters and sections that present us as more open-minded and accepting than we’re often given credit for. This is a truth I also recognize.
October 2, 2019
The cover is gorgeous. The characters are complex. This is a delicately told story of two sisters, diverging and colliding, with the turmoil of Tahrir Square in the background. I love the anchoring in the Arab Spring, the exploration of politics playing out in a family -- as politics always does.
Read
December 4, 2020Not sure how I feel about this just yet so won't rate it now. Review to come at some point.
May 3, 2021
A Pure Heart by Rajia Hassib, published in 2019. Rajia Hassib, an American Egyptian writer, was born and raised in Alexandria, Egypt, and moved to the US when she was twenty-three. Her debut novel, In The Language of Miracles, was published in 2015.
As part of my decision to actively seek Arab female writers, I came across Rajia Hassib's book on the page of @bookfabulous, an avid reader whose book recommendations are always wonderful.
A Pure Heart is the story of two sisters, Rose (Fayrouz) and Gameela. Rose, an Egyptologist, marries an American journalist, and emigrates to the US to pursue her PhD, while her younger sister, Gameela, becomes increasingly more religious. The story begins with an article about a suicide bombing in which Gameela is killed, which sets in motion Rose's journey to examine the events that led to her sister's death. She travels back to Egypt, and begins unraveling the events that led up to Gameela's being at the same place when the suicide bomber detonates his bomb. Some chapters are written from Gameela's point of view, and the reader gets an inside look at her internal struggles to become a better Muslim.
The timeframe of the story is the months following Gameela's death in 2016, and it goes back in time to just before the 2011 revolution, through the personal stories of Rose, Gameela, and Saaber.
This is a complex book, with so much going on, and different perspectives. However, the way Rajia Hassib structured it, it is always clear what is happening, and there is no confusion at all in the reader's mind, as often happens with complex narratives.
This is not an easy read, but I didn't have that lump in my throat I get when I read heartbreaking stories. I tried to understand the reason, and I'm not sure I know why. Sometimes it’s related to my own state of mind I guess, but I have a feeling that the fact that we knew from the very beginning that Gameela dies in a suicide bombing somehow made the reading more bearable, because I knew this is how it was going to end and had the length of the book to absorb this.
I loved reading some of the details about rituals of death and Egyptians' beliefs about the afterlife. The novel is well structured and written beautifully. It is rich with complex characters, and we get a brief glimpse into the colorful tapestry that is Egyptian society.
A quote that will stay with me:
"Places, he explained, opened up to newcomers before people did. Places did not care how long you’ve lived here or where you were born; they welcomed you the moment you set foot in them. That, he told her, was the key to fitting in. She had to make New York her own."
The beautiful cover art is by Essam Maarouf.
As part of my decision to actively seek Arab female writers, I came across Rajia Hassib's book on the page of @bookfabulous, an avid reader whose book recommendations are always wonderful.
A Pure Heart is the story of two sisters, Rose (Fayrouz) and Gameela. Rose, an Egyptologist, marries an American journalist, and emigrates to the US to pursue her PhD, while her younger sister, Gameela, becomes increasingly more religious. The story begins with an article about a suicide bombing in which Gameela is killed, which sets in motion Rose's journey to examine the events that led to her sister's death. She travels back to Egypt, and begins unraveling the events that led up to Gameela's being at the same place when the suicide bomber detonates his bomb. Some chapters are written from Gameela's point of view, and the reader gets an inside look at her internal struggles to become a better Muslim.
The timeframe of the story is the months following Gameela's death in 2016, and it goes back in time to just before the 2011 revolution, through the personal stories of Rose, Gameela, and Saaber.
This is a complex book, with so much going on, and different perspectives. However, the way Rajia Hassib structured it, it is always clear what is happening, and there is no confusion at all in the reader's mind, as often happens with complex narratives.
This is not an easy read, but I didn't have that lump in my throat I get when I read heartbreaking stories. I tried to understand the reason, and I'm not sure I know why. Sometimes it’s related to my own state of mind I guess, but I have a feeling that the fact that we knew from the very beginning that Gameela dies in a suicide bombing somehow made the reading more bearable, because I knew this is how it was going to end and had the length of the book to absorb this.
I loved reading some of the details about rituals of death and Egyptians' beliefs about the afterlife. The novel is well structured and written beautifully. It is rich with complex characters, and we get a brief glimpse into the colorful tapestry that is Egyptian society.
A quote that will stay with me:
"Places, he explained, opened up to newcomers before people did. Places did not care how long you’ve lived here or where you were born; they welcomed you the moment you set foot in them. That, he told her, was the key to fitting in. She had to make New York her own."
The beautiful cover art is by Essam Maarouf.
October 10, 2020
What do you say about a book that has just about everything you want from a book?
.
#theguywiththebookreview presents A Pure Heart by Rajia Hassib
.
This wonderfully balanced narrative about two sisters and their simple yet complicated relationship is so heartwarming and painful at the same time. There are so many things unfortunately I cannot discuss about it because they are huge spoilers although we find them out pretty early/mid-way through the book.
.
Strangely enough although this isn’t a huge book it felt like it covers so much, apart from the protagonist all characters are given just the right amount of focus to build strong characters with clear backgrounds to each of them.
.
It takes place in Egypt and USA and revolves around two sisters and their complicated relationship with their families and each other. It’s a brilliant example of how people aren’t a monolith. Especially Muslim women who have somehow been boxed into a stereotype.
.
A definite recommendation to anyone who’d like to read a book which more than anything is simply...human.
.
#theguywiththebookreview presents A Pure Heart by Rajia Hassib
.
This wonderfully balanced narrative about two sisters and their simple yet complicated relationship is so heartwarming and painful at the same time. There are so many things unfortunately I cannot discuss about it because they are huge spoilers although we find them out pretty early/mid-way through the book.
.
Strangely enough although this isn’t a huge book it felt like it covers so much, apart from the protagonist all characters are given just the right amount of focus to build strong characters with clear backgrounds to each of them.
.
It takes place in Egypt and USA and revolves around two sisters and their complicated relationship with their families and each other. It’s a brilliant example of how people aren’t a monolith. Especially Muslim women who have somehow been boxed into a stereotype.
.
A definite recommendation to anyone who’d like to read a book which more than anything is simply...human.
April 28, 2020
Two sisters, Rose and Gameela, who grew up in Cairo, Egypt but end up on divergent paths as adults. Rose studies Egyptology , marries an American journalist and moves to NYC to work at a museum. Gameela, who was always more traditional and a devout Muslim, stays in Cairo living with her parents. Shortly after the Egyptian Revolution, Gameela dies in a suicide bombing. Rose returns home to try to figure out what happened.
At its heart, this was a story about two sisters, who though they end up thousands of miles apart, still have an impact on each others lives.
At its heart, this was a story about two sisters, who though they end up thousands of miles apart, still have an impact on each others lives.
October 11, 2020
3.7 star to this moving, captivating and powerful novel about two Egyptian sisters that has unspoken pure love towards each other, about their family and country.
Every single time when I read about revolutions in Egypt and how it affected its people, it just shattered my heart all over again. There's nothing big happening in the story, but it has surprises. Its a book that made me constantly have to put down the book and stares at the sky out of my window because somehow, I can feel the pain they went through.
Now that I have finished reading it, I'm still in an agony. 😭
Every single time when I read about revolutions in Egypt and how it affected its people, it just shattered my heart all over again. There's nothing big happening in the story, but it has surprises. Its a book that made me constantly have to put down the book and stares at the sky out of my window because somehow, I can feel the pain they went through.
Now that I have finished reading it, I'm still in an agony. 😭
May 2, 2022
The problem with reading a book set partly in my home country (one of, anyway), is that I get really, really fixated on the details.
Here's what this book does really well: relationships. The portrayal of the bond between Rose and Gameela feels like a sisterly bond, full of arguments but with love at the core of it all, even as they grow apart. Rose has a hard time dealing with her own guilt over Gameela's death, and keeps trying to trace the cause of the incident back to her own life and the choices she made. The author did an excellent job portraying her grief and pain, and how it leads her to obsess over the past and push away the people who care for her as she struggles.
Rose and Gameela seem to be polar opposites, but the more I read the more the similarities between them started to become clear. Gameela's devotion to her faith and country seems to drive a wedge between her and her sister, but Rose is religious in her own way, and she has made a career out of Egypt and its history. They just portray these characteristics in different ways, and since they also don't communicate much about how they're feeling, both are left thinking that the other doesn't understand them.
I did expect the book to have more to do with the Egyptian revolution, but that isn't really the case at all. It is mentioned a few times as Gameela attends some of the demonstrations, but those are very brief sections, and I picked up the book hoping for more.
Now for the nitpicking...
The author uses a few commonly used Arabic phrases throughout the story, but then always translates the sentence within the prose itself. It makes for a jarring and somewhat tedious reading experience; I would've preferred footnotes or some kind of glossary.
The rest all has to do with things that are different from how it would actually be in Egypt. For example, someone's full name in Egypt would consist of their first name, father's name, grandfather's name and great-grandfather's name, but on an official document, Gameela's name is simply Gameela Gubran. Instead of calling Palestine by its rightful name, the author chooses to use the name given to the land by the occupying forces, which no Egyptian I know would ever do. "Assalamu aleikum" is mentioned as the greeting that Gameela mentioned, but it's the greeting the entire Egyptian population uses, whether they're Muslim or not. These are all minor things, but they unfortunately pulled me out of the narrative each time, and ended up negatively impacting my overall enjoyment. Even if Western readers are the intended audience for this book, I don't see a reason why these discrepancies were introduced.
Here's what this book does really well: relationships. The portrayal of the bond between Rose and Gameela feels like a sisterly bond, full of arguments but with love at the core of it all, even as they grow apart. Rose has a hard time dealing with her own guilt over Gameela's death, and keeps trying to trace the cause of the incident back to her own life and the choices she made. The author did an excellent job portraying her grief and pain, and how it leads her to obsess over the past and push away the people who care for her as she struggles.
Strive to be a better person, her inner voice repeated. Shut up, she replied. Just shut the hell up.
Rose and Gameela seem to be polar opposites, but the more I read the more the similarities between them started to become clear. Gameela's devotion to her faith and country seems to drive a wedge between her and her sister, but Rose is religious in her own way, and she has made a career out of Egypt and its history. They just portray these characteristics in different ways, and since they also don't communicate much about how they're feeling, both are left thinking that the other doesn't understand them.
I think the underlying logic is that the country has survived for seven thousand years under the rule of every race and power you can think of—Greek, Roman, Arab, Ottoman, British—you name it. People just adapt and go on with their lives. They’ve seen power change hands so many times that it almost becomes secondary.
I did expect the book to have more to do with the Egyptian revolution, but that isn't really the case at all. It is mentioned a few times as Gameela attends some of the demonstrations, but those are very brief sections, and I picked up the book hoping for more.
Now for the nitpicking...
The author uses a few commonly used Arabic phrases throughout the story, but then always translates the sentence within the prose itself. It makes for a jarring and somewhat tedious reading experience; I would've preferred footnotes or some kind of glossary.
The rest all has to do with things that are different from how it would actually be in Egypt. For example, someone's full name in Egypt would consist of their first name, father's name, grandfather's name and great-grandfather's name, but on an official document, Gameela's name is simply Gameela Gubran. Instead of calling Palestine by its rightful name, the author chooses to use the name given to the land by the occupying forces, which no Egyptian I know would ever do. "Assalamu aleikum" is mentioned as the greeting that Gameela mentioned, but it's the greeting the entire Egyptian population uses, whether they're Muslim or not. These are all minor things, but they unfortunately pulled me out of the narrative each time, and ended up negatively impacting my overall enjoyment. Even if Western readers are the intended audience for this book, I don't see a reason why these discrepancies were introduced.
March 26, 2024
*Rose and Gameela Gubran. Sisters, but living very different lives. Rose is an Egyptologist, married an American man and moved to America with him. Gameela is a devout Muslim with a private personal life who has chosen to stay with her family in Egypt. When Gameela is killed in a suicide bombing not long after the Arab Spring movement, Rose’s life is torn apart and as she sifts through her sister’s things she finds a lot more questions than answers about the real life her sister has been living.
*I love a sibling dynamic story and as a whole I really enjoyed this book. There were SO many themes touched on from religion/Islam to Egyptian politics to family dynamics to grief. The highlight was how the author wrote the relationships. Rose and Gameela absolutely felt like real sisters who may have had arguments and grown apart but fully loved each other at their core.
*I read this book for the Egypt prompt for the #AroundTheWorldInBooks challenge and I love that I discovered this author and story that I probably wouldn’t have otherwise!
*I love a sibling dynamic story and as a whole I really enjoyed this book. There were SO many themes touched on from religion/Islam to Egyptian politics to family dynamics to grief. The highlight was how the author wrote the relationships. Rose and Gameela absolutely felt like real sisters who may have had arguments and grown apart but fully loved each other at their core.
*I read this book for the Egypt prompt for the #AroundTheWorldInBooks challenge and I love that I discovered this author and story that I probably wouldn’t have otherwise!
August 17, 2020
Maybe I’m rating this too highly, but oh man what a breath of fresh air after an iffy start to the reading month!
Hassib’s sophomore novel is told in two timelines—though I admit that it took me until the end to realize that one was told in past tense and one in present tense. :/ My own writing tends to switch tenses with indiscrimination; apparently this is a blind spot!
Parts one, three and five are told in the aftermath of a suicide bombing in Egypt, which has claimed the life of the protagonist’s younger sister. Parts two and four are about the actions and circumstances of the past several years that led said sister to her ultimate end.
There’s a little bit of tension in the novel about how Gameela, who is more religious and conservative than her family, happened to be at the bombing. She knew the bomber, Saaber, through outside associations, and she connected him with her brother-in-law, Mark. Mark is an American journalist in 2014, looking for profile pieces on various Egyptians after the 2011 Arab Spring. In 2016, Saaber’s past history of being interviewed for Mark’s paper (a little-known outfit called The New York Times :P) made sure his suicide/homicide bombing would not go unnoticed.
The protagonist is Rose, who changed her name from Fayrouz for reasons having to do with her love of ancient Egypt. She meets her future husband, Mark, while he’s working in the Middle East; he converts so they can marry in Egypt, but then she more than him wants to live in New York where she can get a master’s in archaeology from Columbia U. (And an Egyptology fellowship at the Met; dang, girl!) Her relationship with Gameela is largely fraught at this time, as Gameela doesn’t trust the sincerity of Mark’s conversion and can’t fathom her sister wanting to move so far away. Also some sibling rivalry, of course, since their parents are so besotted with Rose’s accomplishments.
Some years later, when going through Gameela’s old things, Rose discovers that her sister had her own secret life for awhile. Rose and the others never understand all of the details of Gameela’s choices, though we as the readers get to. Gameela’s path towards embracing Islam is filled with self-reflection and movement towards charity, in contrast with Saaber’s choices, which stack upon blocks of oppression, self-pity and radicalization. I think the very end of part four, the day of the bombing, might have been a liiiiiittle heavy-handed, by way of Gameela’s final actions and ruminations, but I may be being too nitpicky about it.
I realize the subject matter is more political, and ergo more palatable, than the insular drama of Hassib’s debut, IN THE LANGUAGE OF MIRACLES. But I still think she improved in layering nuanced characters and situations here. That one was good, too, but this is better! I don’t think there were any outlying characters in her sophomore book. Everyone with an important part to play in the story got a little background. Maybe Saaber’s quick radicalization storyline was pretty standard, but Hassib didn’t skimp on any of the details that made him into an individual.
For Rose, we got asides on how her knowledge of ancient Egyptian history helped her try and cope with Gameela’s death (and lend the title to the book, because Ancient Egyptians believed in “pure hearts” gaining access to the afterlife.) I also love how Rose, an immigrant, who arguably belonged to both ancient and modern Egypt as a child, was always searching for a sense of home in “place.”
Mark, too, got a good amount of build up regarding his upbringing and how it helped shape his adult convictions. Rose and Gameela’s parents were more periphery, but they gave a human face to older, more settled secular, upper middle-class Egyptians. Unlike, say, with THE GERMAN GIRL by Armando Lucas Correa, it was a good mix of the personal and the political in this novel.
Great physical descriptions, too, though sometimes I think Hassib’s narrative got a little too rambly. (Speaking as someone who is also guilty of this, yeesh.) I got feklempt at the end and was talking to the characters, the way I always do when a story moves me. And now I’m doubly disappointed that the dang coronavirus cancelled the Gaithersburg Book Fest, where I could have gotten this book signed! Ah well. If I ever meet Hassib at a later date, I can tell her how moved I was by this novel.
Hassib’s sophomore novel is told in two timelines—though I admit that it took me until the end to realize that one was told in past tense and one in present tense. :/ My own writing tends to switch tenses with indiscrimination; apparently this is a blind spot!
Parts one, three and five are told in the aftermath of a suicide bombing in Egypt, which has claimed the life of the protagonist’s younger sister. Parts two and four are about the actions and circumstances of the past several years that led said sister to her ultimate end.
There’s a little bit of tension in the novel about how Gameela, who is more religious and conservative than her family, happened to be at the bombing. She knew the bomber, Saaber, through outside associations, and she connected him with her brother-in-law, Mark. Mark is an American journalist in 2014, looking for profile pieces on various Egyptians after the 2011 Arab Spring. In 2016, Saaber’s past history of being interviewed for Mark’s paper (a little-known outfit called The New York Times :P) made sure his suicide/homicide bombing would not go unnoticed.
The protagonist is Rose, who changed her name from Fayrouz for reasons having to do with her love of ancient Egypt. She meets her future husband, Mark, while he’s working in the Middle East; he converts so they can marry in Egypt, but then she more than him wants to live in New York where she can get a master’s in archaeology from Columbia U. (And an Egyptology fellowship at the Met; dang, girl!) Her relationship with Gameela is largely fraught at this time, as Gameela doesn’t trust the sincerity of Mark’s conversion and can’t fathom her sister wanting to move so far away. Also some sibling rivalry, of course, since their parents are so besotted with Rose’s accomplishments.
Some years later, when going through Gameela’s old things, Rose discovers that her sister had her own secret life for awhile. Rose and the others never understand all of the details of Gameela’s choices, though we as the readers get to. Gameela’s path towards embracing Islam is filled with self-reflection and movement towards charity, in contrast with Saaber’s choices, which stack upon blocks of oppression, self-pity and radicalization. I think the very end of part four, the day of the bombing, might have been a liiiiiittle heavy-handed, by way of Gameela’s final actions and ruminations, but I may be being too nitpicky about it.
I realize the subject matter is more political, and ergo more palatable, than the insular drama of Hassib’s debut, IN THE LANGUAGE OF MIRACLES. But I still think she improved in layering nuanced characters and situations here. That one was good, too, but this is better! I don’t think there were any outlying characters in her sophomore book. Everyone with an important part to play in the story got a little background. Maybe Saaber’s quick radicalization storyline was pretty standard, but Hassib didn’t skimp on any of the details that made him into an individual.
For Rose, we got asides on how her knowledge of ancient Egyptian history helped her try and cope with Gameela’s death (and lend the title to the book, because Ancient Egyptians believed in “pure hearts” gaining access to the afterlife.) I also love how Rose, an immigrant, who arguably belonged to both ancient and modern Egypt as a child, was always searching for a sense of home in “place.”
Mark, too, got a good amount of build up regarding his upbringing and how it helped shape his adult convictions. Rose and Gameela’s parents were more periphery, but they gave a human face to older, more settled secular, upper middle-class Egyptians. Unlike, say, with THE GERMAN GIRL by Armando Lucas Correa, it was a good mix of the personal and the political in this novel.
Great physical descriptions, too, though sometimes I think Hassib’s narrative got a little too rambly. (Speaking as someone who is also guilty of this, yeesh.) I got feklempt at the end and was talking to the characters, the way I always do when a story moves me. And now I’m doubly disappointed that the dang coronavirus cancelled the Gaithersburg Book Fest, where I could have gotten this book signed! Ah well. If I ever meet Hassib at a later date, I can tell her how moved I was by this novel.
March 5, 2021
rating changed from 5 stars to 4 stars. Doesn't mean I liked this book any less.
Rose and Gameela are two sisters who grew up in Cairo, Egypt. Rose is an Egyptologist who married an American husband and immigrated to the US, where Gameela stayed in Cairo pursuing her career and living with their parents. Two sisters drifted apart and have had a draught relationship since then. Shortly after The Arab Spring movement, Gameela died from a suicide bombing, left her artifacts and many mysteries for Rose to find out.
Full review on my blog, or watch this video to check out.
Rose and Gameela are two sisters who grew up in Cairo, Egypt. Rose is an Egyptologist who married an American husband and immigrated to the US, where Gameela stayed in Cairo pursuing her career and living with their parents. Two sisters drifted apart and have had a draught relationship since then. Shortly after The Arab Spring movement, Gameela died from a suicide bombing, left her artifacts and many mysteries for Rose to find out.
Full review on my blog, or watch this video to check out.
August 27, 2019
The story is interesting...it starts with one sister trying to learn what happened to her sister. The story parallels a question about the Arab Spring...i.e., why was its goal elusive? The movement and momentum are located in the story itself. The writing and particularly its tone and pacing are solid and measured, respectively.
I like this book. And I like this book better than the author's first book, In the Language of Miracles. I dislike comparing titles because sometimes it's not a good way to judge either. But since I read the first one because this one was not then available and furthermore, since I refer to this in my review of the first book, I feel I should close the loop here. This story has more energy, something to propel the story forward. Interestingly, both books have the element of a sibling who has died. Both books also speak about Egypt, about Islam and about being Muslim and the many ways one can do so.
Lastly, here I appreciated reading about the Arab Spring in Egypt in 2011 and a passing reference to the Bread Riots of 1977.
I like this book. And I like this book better than the author's first book, In the Language of Miracles. I dislike comparing titles because sometimes it's not a good way to judge either. But since I read the first one because this one was not then available and furthermore, since I refer to this in my review of the first book, I feel I should close the loop here. This story has more energy, something to propel the story forward. Interestingly, both books have the element of a sibling who has died. Both books also speak about Egypt, about Islam and about being Muslim and the many ways one can do so.
Lastly, here I appreciated reading about the Arab Spring in Egypt in 2011 and a passing reference to the Bread Riots of 1977.
March 12, 2019
This beautifully written novel begins with Rose in Egypt, sifting through her sister Gameela’s belongings to try to understand how she was caught up in a deadly terrorist attack. As the story unfolds, we find out more about Rose’s marriage to an American journalist, Mark, as well as Gameela’s personal journey to find her own way as a Muslim woman. The political underpinnings of the story are illuminating, and Rose’s relationship with her sister reflect the times. I loved this novel and highly recommend it. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.
January 22, 2021
3.5 🌟
This story of two Egyptian sisters was really interesting, especially because it combines science and religion, and ancient tradition and politics with the contemporary. Hassib tackles and comments on a lot: marriage, Islam, revolution, journalism, museum curation, siblinghood, family, identity,....maybe too much for the time and place scope of the book. And the writing was, at times, kind of uninspiring. Even though there was a good amount of backstory to the characters, I never felt like I knew them all that deeply. And yet I was still invested in their story and its various outcomes. A mixed bag overall!
This story of two Egyptian sisters was really interesting, especially because it combines science and religion, and ancient tradition and politics with the contemporary. Hassib tackles and comments on a lot: marriage, Islam, revolution, journalism, museum curation, siblinghood, family, identity,....maybe too much for the time and place scope of the book. And the writing was, at times, kind of uninspiring. Even though there was a good amount of backstory to the characters, I never felt like I knew them all that deeply. And yet I was still invested in their story and its various outcomes. A mixed bag overall!
February 16, 2021
4.5 rounded up to 5 stars. I didn't know what to expect from this book so everything about it was a pleasant surprise. The author is very adept at story-telling, and I had no problem with the switching back and forth in time as this was done in large sections, not chapter by chapter. The characters were all multi-layered when it would have been easier to make them one-dimensional. At some point in the story, I had a love/hate feeling about every character in the book, which means that they were very realistic and human.
June 20, 2024
~3.5~ it was a somewhat enjoyable read. I really liked the themes and points of discussion in regards to language, tradition and culture, family dynamics, religion, and immigration. the writing felt a little too over explanatory at times, felt like i was being told exactly what to think about the characters and the story which made the book feel almost simple at times and filled with cliches? i did find it was easy to pick up and visualize though so props for that
September 21, 2019
4.5 stars. A good story involving two Egyptian sisters, who lives diverged in ways that made them both frustrated with their relationship and with their situations. I appreciated learning more about Egyptian history and culture. A satisfying read.
December 20, 2019
*warning* I stopped reading the book halfway but I think I read enough.
Everytime I pick up a book that is advertised as a “Muslim” book I expect a lot. I expect non-cliche storylines, characters who are loving and happy, and characters who are not always suffering. I want characters who put a different outlook on things and are peaceful with their thoughts and emotions because that’s what a muslim is. I was very weary of picking up this book because the description mentioned a suicide bombing and differing mindsets...and I should have listened to my gut.
What you need to know:
Two sisters grew up from the same Egyptian culture but have differing thoughts and opinions about religion and values. Rose marries an American man and travels to America for her PhD, she is not as religious and depicted as more animated/educated. On the other hand, Gameela wears a hijab, is religious, and has a lot of secrets. Gameela dies because of a suicide bombing and Rose is trying to figure out what happened and her sister’s secrets to understand her more.
What I thought:
The cliche of having two sisters with differing opinions about Islam….the way im so TIRED. I don’t think the book made any concluding statements about differing values and how siblings can still love and understand each other in the end (I skimmed the ending). To me, that seems like tacky writing and sends a weird message about Islam and Muslims.
Throughout the book, Rose and her family always disapproved of Gameela’s religious tendencies and how she started wearing a hijab. I don’t know about any other Muslims but I think it’s so bizarre that a Muslim family disapproves of another Muslim, especially a family member, deciding to be religious so they can be closer to God. Muslims always praise other Muslims when they pray, fast, and wear a hijab. I’m the only one in my family who wears a hijab and I’ve been telling everyone I’m reading the Quran in English and making an effort to pray and not one soul told me I was being weird. They were not worried about me or are afraid to have productive conversations about politics and religion with me. Hassib is sending a judgemental, twisted message about Islam and Muslims and I do not approve. It kind of seems narrow minded and racist to think that a person is keeping secrets because she is becoming religious. Every single character was judgemental towards Gameela (these are not gonna make sense but I gotta rant):
Mark (rose’s husband) : felt uncomfortable?? that gameela rushed to cover her hair whenever he was around???? She wears a hijab, it’s her choice if she doesn’t wanna show u her hair dude. It’s not because you’re an outsider….
Rose: questions why religious people were so judgemental??? Did u even talk to Gameela, did you have conversations with her, she said one comment about Mark converting and ur huffing and puffing. Also why you so mad that your sister is calling you Fayrouz lmaoo?? That’s your name???
Her parents(and her sister): worried about Gameela taking the Muslim Brotherhood side in the revolution because she’s religious. Ummm that’s racist bro.
Maybe there was a different point being made because I didn’t read the other half of the book but in the pages that I read, I NEVER saw Gameela standing up for herself and explaining to her family why she is wearing a hijab. And the inner monologue she did have about the disapproving comments did not explain to the reader how her family is being judgemental by thinking Gameela is too religious and judgmental.
I do not disapprove of interfaith marriages but Mark nonchalantly saying he’ll convert into a Muslim to marry Rose (because of Egyptian laws) bothered me so much. He said this line where he was like “I’ll just say the Shahada and I’ll be Muslim. There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. There I said it. I’m Muslim now” and then Rose went on to say that that’s not how it works. He has to believe it. And Mark went on a tangent of how religions are up to your interpretations and he would do the same if she was Hindu or Buddhist….that bothered me so much. Hassib watered down what it means to be Muslim and was sending a message about religions through the mouth of a priveleged white American man who was not depicted as practicing or spiritual. And Rose believed him??? I understand she’s not religious but idk man that was a weird message to send to the audience about Muslims. I don’t know how to explain it but that goes to show how messy the writing was.
Hassib gave us all these perspectives (maybe too many) about religions and values and not one of them depicted accurate depictions of what it means to be Muslim. I did not see an appreciation of Islam in this book and it kind of made me feel bad about being openly religious. I’m tired of cliched “Muslim” books. I am tired of characters being weirded out about openly religious Muslims and I am tired of white people praising “Muslim” books and believing in these messages. These kinds of books create more prejudice thoughts and does not clear out that Muslims are out here chilling. We are not always suffering, or keeping secrets, or hating ourselves because of the oppressing “views” in Islam. I JUST wanna read a book where a Muslim is straight chilling oof...
Everytime I pick up a book that is advertised as a “Muslim” book I expect a lot. I expect non-cliche storylines, characters who are loving and happy, and characters who are not always suffering. I want characters who put a different outlook on things and are peaceful with their thoughts and emotions because that’s what a muslim is. I was very weary of picking up this book because the description mentioned a suicide bombing and differing mindsets...and I should have listened to my gut.
What you need to know:
Two sisters grew up from the same Egyptian culture but have differing thoughts and opinions about religion and values. Rose marries an American man and travels to America for her PhD, she is not as religious and depicted as more animated/educated. On the other hand, Gameela wears a hijab, is religious, and has a lot of secrets. Gameela dies because of a suicide bombing and Rose is trying to figure out what happened and her sister’s secrets to understand her more.
What I thought:
The cliche of having two sisters with differing opinions about Islam….the way im so TIRED. I don’t think the book made any concluding statements about differing values and how siblings can still love and understand each other in the end (I skimmed the ending). To me, that seems like tacky writing and sends a weird message about Islam and Muslims.
Throughout the book, Rose and her family always disapproved of Gameela’s religious tendencies and how she started wearing a hijab. I don’t know about any other Muslims but I think it’s so bizarre that a Muslim family disapproves of another Muslim, especially a family member, deciding to be religious so they can be closer to God. Muslims always praise other Muslims when they pray, fast, and wear a hijab. I’m the only one in my family who wears a hijab and I’ve been telling everyone I’m reading the Quran in English and making an effort to pray and not one soul told me I was being weird. They were not worried about me or are afraid to have productive conversations about politics and religion with me. Hassib is sending a judgemental, twisted message about Islam and Muslims and I do not approve. It kind of seems narrow minded and racist to think that a person is keeping secrets because she is becoming religious. Every single character was judgemental towards Gameela (these are not gonna make sense but I gotta rant):
Mark (rose’s husband) : felt uncomfortable?? that gameela rushed to cover her hair whenever he was around???? She wears a hijab, it’s her choice if she doesn’t wanna show u her hair dude. It’s not because you’re an outsider….
Rose: questions why religious people were so judgemental??? Did u even talk to Gameela, did you have conversations with her, she said one comment about Mark converting and ur huffing and puffing. Also why you so mad that your sister is calling you Fayrouz lmaoo?? That’s your name???
Her parents(and her sister): worried about Gameela taking the Muslim Brotherhood side in the revolution because she’s religious. Ummm that’s racist bro.
Maybe there was a different point being made because I didn’t read the other half of the book but in the pages that I read, I NEVER saw Gameela standing up for herself and explaining to her family why she is wearing a hijab. And the inner monologue she did have about the disapproving comments did not explain to the reader how her family is being judgemental by thinking Gameela is too religious and judgmental.
I do not disapprove of interfaith marriages but Mark nonchalantly saying he’ll convert into a Muslim to marry Rose (because of Egyptian laws) bothered me so much. He said this line where he was like “I’ll just say the Shahada and I’ll be Muslim. There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. There I said it. I’m Muslim now” and then Rose went on to say that that’s not how it works. He has to believe it. And Mark went on a tangent of how religions are up to your interpretations and he would do the same if she was Hindu or Buddhist….that bothered me so much. Hassib watered down what it means to be Muslim and was sending a message about religions through the mouth of a priveleged white American man who was not depicted as practicing or spiritual. And Rose believed him??? I understand she’s not religious but idk man that was a weird message to send to the audience about Muslims. I don’t know how to explain it but that goes to show how messy the writing was.
Hassib gave us all these perspectives (maybe too many) about religions and values and not one of them depicted accurate depictions of what it means to be Muslim. I did not see an appreciation of Islam in this book and it kind of made me feel bad about being openly religious. I’m tired of cliched “Muslim” books. I am tired of characters being weirded out about openly religious Muslims and I am tired of white people praising “Muslim” books and believing in these messages. These kinds of books create more prejudice thoughts and does not clear out that Muslims are out here chilling. We are not always suffering, or keeping secrets, or hating ourselves because of the oppressing “views” in Islam. I JUST wanna read a book where a Muslim is straight chilling oof...
August 24, 2021
A really good book with an interesting premise.
I found this book interesting but frustrating at times and sometimes the story dragged a bit as we jumped past and present and view points.
Overall a good read.
I found this book interesting but frustrating at times and sometimes the story dragged a bit as we jumped past and present and view points.
Overall a good read.
June 23, 2021
3.5 stars
May 20, 2023
3.5 stars
October 26, 2020
Rose, an Egyptologist, marries Mark, an American journalist and moves to the US despite her sister, Gameela’s misgivings about the relationship.
Later on Gameela’s tragic death in a suicide bombing devastates and haunts Rose forcing her to delve deeper into the secret life her sister had apparently lived and as an archeologist, she looks carefully towards the past to uncover its mysteries.
The characters are both multidimensional and rich in complexity, people who are both strong and vulnerable, sometimes at the same time.
There is no insular theme that the story explores instead it is a journey along the lines of faith, religion, loyalty, guilt, regret and finally self acceptance and contentment.
Set amidst the politically volatile climate of the Egyptian Revolution, the book is written with a beautifully descriptive and nuanced prose.
A powerfully fresh and surprisingly honest look at complicated family relationships.
The romantic undercurrents of the story are all very believable and delicately portrayed, deserving a special mention.
Thanks a ton to @sumaiyya.books for recommending this brilliant story.
Please do also checkout the @thereadingwomen podcast episode 86 for more.
“Outside, a bird lands on the magnolia tree, shaking a branch and, with it, every single leaf attached to it, the bird’s minuscule feet starting a shock wave that vibrates on and on, leaving hundreds of leaves trembling in its wake.”
P.S. Absolutely loved reading about ancient Egypt and their beliefs.
Later on Gameela’s tragic death in a suicide bombing devastates and haunts Rose forcing her to delve deeper into the secret life her sister had apparently lived and as an archeologist, she looks carefully towards the past to uncover its mysteries.
The characters are both multidimensional and rich in complexity, people who are both strong and vulnerable, sometimes at the same time.
There is no insular theme that the story explores instead it is a journey along the lines of faith, religion, loyalty, guilt, regret and finally self acceptance and contentment.
Set amidst the politically volatile climate of the Egyptian Revolution, the book is written with a beautifully descriptive and nuanced prose.
A powerfully fresh and surprisingly honest look at complicated family relationships.
The romantic undercurrents of the story are all very believable and delicately portrayed, deserving a special mention.
Thanks a ton to @sumaiyya.books for recommending this brilliant story.
Please do also checkout the @thereadingwomen podcast episode 86 for more.
“Outside, a bird lands on the magnolia tree, shaking a branch and, with it, every single leaf attached to it, the bird’s minuscule feet starting a shock wave that vibrates on and on, leaving hundreds of leaves trembling in its wake.”
P.S. Absolutely loved reading about ancient Egypt and their beliefs.
March 19, 2019
A Pure Heart by Rajia Hassib
“Every person who falls does so with the blessing of a society who chooses not to care about him.”
Rose is an Egyptian woman living in NYC with her American husband mark. They met in Cairo when he was based there on assignment as a reporter, and now live in NYC so rose can work on her thesis. The novel is a curious intersection of exploring marriage and relationships, exploring secrets, and the key to personal happiness. The conflict stems from the strained relationship between rose and her sister Gameela. Rose is the modern woman who married a foreigner who had to convert to Islam. Gameela is the devout Muslim who seems to judge rose harshly for her choices. Danger comes when mark needs to tap into Gameela several years into his move back to NYC for possible sources for a story in Cairo.
I really enjoyed this story. I loved the visuals of Cairo, and life in a place I’ve never been. I felt for Gameela as the “lesser sister” (in her eyes) who could never measure up to Rose and was just looking for happiness on her own terms. I liked rose’s journey to figure out who her sister really was. I especially liked the exploration of the different marriages in the novel. There is a line at the end about a wedding band losing its shiny new beauty to a calm sheen and I thought that was such an apt metaphor for marriage and all its trials and joys. I would recommend this book.
“Every person who falls does so with the blessing of a society who chooses not to care about him.”
Rose is an Egyptian woman living in NYC with her American husband mark. They met in Cairo when he was based there on assignment as a reporter, and now live in NYC so rose can work on her thesis. The novel is a curious intersection of exploring marriage and relationships, exploring secrets, and the key to personal happiness. The conflict stems from the strained relationship between rose and her sister Gameela. Rose is the modern woman who married a foreigner who had to convert to Islam. Gameela is the devout Muslim who seems to judge rose harshly for her choices. Danger comes when mark needs to tap into Gameela several years into his move back to NYC for possible sources for a story in Cairo.
I really enjoyed this story. I loved the visuals of Cairo, and life in a place I’ve never been. I felt for Gameela as the “lesser sister” (in her eyes) who could never measure up to Rose and was just looking for happiness on her own terms. I liked rose’s journey to figure out who her sister really was. I especially liked the exploration of the different marriages in the novel. There is a line at the end about a wedding band losing its shiny new beauty to a calm sheen and I thought that was such an apt metaphor for marriage and all its trials and joys. I would recommend this book.
August 10, 2019
This is an intimate story of relationships, intentions, and the purity of the human heart. The story centers two sisters in post-Arab Spring Egypt who live their adult lives on different continents, in different ways, pushing a variety of limits. Their Islamic faith plays a role in each of their lives, to varying degrees. When one sister dies in a suicide bombing, the other sister is left to make sense of her sister's secrets, the event itself, and the role her husband played in it. This is a book written from a little heard from perspective. Despite the heavy topic, Hassib writes with a soft touch and in its gentility, the book allows the reader to glimpse the hearts and minds of its characters. It is beautifully written, timely, and thought-provoking.
September 25, 2019
4.5
I read this intense, powerful, and heartbreaking book mostly in one sitting.
A novel of two very different sisters set in contemporary Egypt.
After reading this and two other books [A Door in the Earth and Godsend] that also deal with being Muslim among other topics, it's time for a lighter read.
Recommend.
I read this intense, powerful, and heartbreaking book mostly in one sitting.
A novel of two very different sisters set in contemporary Egypt.
After reading this and two other books [A Door in the Earth and Godsend] that also deal with being Muslim among other topics, it's time for a lighter read.
Recommend.
August 5, 2019
Fayrouz "Rose" Gubran has had what many may perceive as an idyllic life. She and her sister, Gameela, were raised by loving parents, Nora and Ahmad. Both daughters have received advanced educational studies, Rose in Egyptology/Archeology and Gameela in Engineering. And then when Rose was in her mid-twenties, she met an American reporter, Mark Hatfield. Mark was different from the other men she had met, they fell in love, he converted to Islam so they could get married (Muslim women aren't allowed to marry non-Muslim men in Egypt), and eventually she was accepted in a doctoral program in the US. She and Mark moved to the States where Rose studied, became a naturalized citizen, changed her name from Fayrouz Gubran to Rose Gubran Hatfield, and eventually became a postdoctoral fellow at the Metropolitan Museum in New York City. Mark became a reporter with assigned articles at the New York Times but longed for the days when he was reporting on social issues from the Middle East. Gameela, several years younger than Rose, lives through Arab Spring, is no longer as idealistic as she once was, and is possibly in a relationship with a man almost 30 years her senior. After a brief return to Egypt to do a series of freelance articles, Mark returns to the States and weeks later the young man he interviewed (Saaber) is jailed for the simple act of being interviewed by a foreign journalist and attacking one of the arresting officers. Several months later, Gameela is killed in a suicide bomber attack and Mark is feeling guilty that he may have inadvertently had a part to play in her death, Rose is angry at Mark because he may have inadvertently had a part to play in her death (Gameela introduced Mark to the man that introduced him to the young interview subject), and their lives are turned upside down. The only thing Rose can think of doing is trying to uncover the secrets, if any, to her sister's life in Egypt. Will the answers she finds bring her peace or simply cause more pain?
I had the pleasure of reading In the Language of Miracles by Rajia Hassib a few years ago and was blown away by the storyline and characters. I knew that I had to get my hands on a copy of her latest book, A Pure Heart after hearing about it and I'm incredibly grateful to the publisher for supplying me with a print review copy. A Pure Heart is an amazing story for so many reasons, not just because it is well written (although it is). This story asks and answers what makes a good Muslimah (Muslim female) as well as a good daughter/sister/wife/friend. Is it possible to be good at any of these roles and have secrets or change our opinions on what it means to be righteous or pious without being sanctimonious? Is it possible to love someone and still be angry with them for a prolonged period of time? Can we ever be assured that we know someone when we don't know their deepest, darkest secrets? Do we even need to know those secrets in order to be a good friend/spouse/sibling? There are a lot of issues presented in A Pure Heart and there's no way too many for me to touch on all of them without revealing too much about this wonderful story. This reader enjoyed getting to know all of the characters, especially Rose, Gameela, Mark, Ingrid, Nora, Ahmad, and Fouad, as well as Saaber. I loved reading about the neighborhoods in Egypt and learning about the poverty-stricken neighborhoods that tourists never see or hear about. I'm hard-pressed to find anything that I didn't like about this story. As an American Muslimah, it is refreshing to read stories written by Muslims about Muslims and although Islam isn't front and center in this story, it does play a pivotal role in the lives of the main characters. I encourage you all to grab a copy of A Pure Heart to read, and I'm not just saying that as a Muslim or because the author is a fellow West Virginia resident. I'm recommending this book because it is an outstanding read and one that I think every reader will be able to appreciate. Happy Reading y'all!
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. This review originally posted on 08/05/2019 at https://www.thebookdivasreads.com/201....
I had the pleasure of reading In the Language of Miracles by Rajia Hassib a few years ago and was blown away by the storyline and characters. I knew that I had to get my hands on a copy of her latest book, A Pure Heart after hearing about it and I'm incredibly grateful to the publisher for supplying me with a print review copy. A Pure Heart is an amazing story for so many reasons, not just because it is well written (although it is). This story asks and answers what makes a good Muslimah (Muslim female) as well as a good daughter/sister/wife/friend. Is it possible to be good at any of these roles and have secrets or change our opinions on what it means to be righteous or pious without being sanctimonious? Is it possible to love someone and still be angry with them for a prolonged period of time? Can we ever be assured that we know someone when we don't know their deepest, darkest secrets? Do we even need to know those secrets in order to be a good friend/spouse/sibling? There are a lot of issues presented in A Pure Heart and there's no way too many for me to touch on all of them without revealing too much about this wonderful story. This reader enjoyed getting to know all of the characters, especially Rose, Gameela, Mark, Ingrid, Nora, Ahmad, and Fouad, as well as Saaber. I loved reading about the neighborhoods in Egypt and learning about the poverty-stricken neighborhoods that tourists never see or hear about. I'm hard-pressed to find anything that I didn't like about this story. As an American Muslimah, it is refreshing to read stories written by Muslims about Muslims and although Islam isn't front and center in this story, it does play a pivotal role in the lives of the main characters. I encourage you all to grab a copy of A Pure Heart to read, and I'm not just saying that as a Muslim or because the author is a fellow West Virginia resident. I'm recommending this book because it is an outstanding read and one that I think every reader will be able to appreciate. Happy Reading y'all!
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. This review originally posted on 08/05/2019 at https://www.thebookdivasreads.com/201....
June 17, 2022
Not really sure how to feel about this book...
The story essentially follows 2 sisters from Egypt and how their lives diverge as one marries an American and moves to New York and the other starts becoming more invested in her religion. As one sister tragically dies in a suicide bombing in Cairo, the other sister returns to Egypt and tries to understand her sister's hidden life.
I thought the plot and the writing style were really easy to follow. The story remained engaging and relevant, post 9/11. It was interesting to see how people had to choose to be either completely secular or completely religious - there was no real in-between shown in this book. It was also interesting to see this same sense of complete alignment in relation to the Arab Spring - you were either on the side of the military or the Muslim Brotherhood, there was no in-between.
At points, I felt really frustrated with the characters and how they handled situations, but I think that's what made it more real. I would love to read the book again soon, knowing what I know now, and see the subtle hints that were dropped throughout the beginning.
Great read, especially if you struggle with your religious identity, etc.
The story essentially follows 2 sisters from Egypt and how their lives diverge as one marries an American and moves to New York and the other starts becoming more invested in her religion. As one sister tragically dies in a suicide bombing in Cairo, the other sister returns to Egypt and tries to understand her sister's hidden life.
I thought the plot and the writing style were really easy to follow. The story remained engaging and relevant, post 9/11. It was interesting to see how people had to choose to be either completely secular or completely religious - there was no real in-between shown in this book. It was also interesting to see this same sense of complete alignment in relation to the Arab Spring - you were either on the side of the military or the Muslim Brotherhood, there was no in-between.
At points, I felt really frustrated with the characters and how they handled situations, but I think that's what made it more real. I would love to read the book again soon, knowing what I know now, and see the subtle hints that were dropped throughout the beginning.
Great read, especially if you struggle with your religious identity, etc.
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