The book is a coming of age story of a part Hindu-part Parsi expatriate in Jeddah and deals with important issues like gender inequality, peer pressure, abuse and cyber bullying. Her only source of comfort is her burly Parsi friend, Porus. However, her indifference is seen as defiance and insubordination by her caregivers, teachers and peers and she is regaled as the ‘rebel’ that everyone wants to pick on. Subjected to double standards that the Kingdom considers normal, she deals with her angst the only way she can, by feigning ignorance. Zarin Wadia, an orphan condemned to a life as an unwanted outsider in her Aunt’s family struggles to make sense of the world that she must inhabit. It tackles complicated issues of race, identity, class, and religion, and paints a portrait of teenage ambition, angst, and alienation that feels both inventive and universal.“ The bookĪ Girl Like That starts with the gory scene of a car crash and the spirits of the victims hovering over their bodies reminiscing their short lives.
This beautifully written debut novel from Tanaz Bhathena reveals a rich and wonderful new world to readers. And as her story is pieced together, told through multiple perspectives, it becomes clear that she was far more than just a girl like that. So how is it that eighteen-year-old Porus Dumasia has only ever had eyes for her? And how did Zarin and Porus end up dead in a car together, crashed on the side of a highway in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia? When the religious police arrive on the scene, everything everyone thought they knew about Zarin is questioned. You don’t want to get involved with a girl like that, they say. She’s also the kind of girl that parents warn their kids to stay away from: a troublemaker whose many romances are the subject of endless gossip at school. Sixteen-year-old Zarin Wadia is many things: a bright and vivacious student, an orphan, a risk taker. “ A timeless exploration of high-stakes romance, self-discovery, and the lengths we go to love and be loved. She wanted this book to be a love letter to all the girls who live in a world that defines them in various ways without letting them define themselves.
Zarin’s story was published first as a 5,000 word story in The Third Reader in 2008. Her short stories have appeared in various journals, including Blackbird, Witness and Room Magazine. Tanaz Bhathena was born in Mumbai and raised in Riyadh, Jeddah and Toronto.
It also fit perfectly into my reading goals for the women oriented month of March. I was glad that I did since it turned out to be the best book of 2018 so far. Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest reviewĪ call for reviewers had been placed on Twitter by Vivek Tejuja for the book and I jumped at the chance when my bookstagram buddy Chitra Ahanthem recommended it to me.
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