Laila by Fadi Zaghmout

Have you ever wondered about the life of a woman behind the constraints of patriarchy and traditions?

I recently read one of the books by Fadi Zaghmout- A Jordanian writer, gender activist and a feminist. I read a few articles of him before reading the book and got to know about his book through twitter and his website. The story is about the life of a Jordanian woman who had been trapped in her marriage through long-drawn customs and norms.

In this book, Fadi Zaghmout writes about the hidden sexual desires of women and men that are still considered taboo in a lot of cultures.

"There is something peculiar about this book that will astonish you and make you wonder about society's expectations and the way they shape the minds of individuals."

The novel begins with the protagonist Laila dying while having a sexual encounter with her lover. As the story unfolds, we hear Laila's narration, whose spirit hovers about in the world and keeps slipping into the lives of her husband and her lover. The narration reveals her married life and how frustrated Laila was with it. Although she loved and lived another life beyond her marriage, she was unable to share it with the world. Her dilemma of leaving her husband and what would people think, Laila is trapped and finds her marriage emotionally and sexually repelling. Quite unexpectedly, the book discusses what a woman and a man desire sexually, and that's what makes it quite extraordinary. As you go ahead in the book, you will realize how even the little things around us have a huge impact on how our thinking gets developed.

The book is originally written in Arabic so if you are an English reader the translations may seem a little rough at places but the premise of the story is brillaint. Fadi has also very subtly disclosed the issues related to gender and sexuality. The book talks about how gender roles are already assigned to families and how society expects each individual to abide by them without a fail. Laila’s character in the book can be described as honest and courageous. She revolts the expectations of society and expresses her sexual desires but is unable to come out to the entire world.

"I wanted this to be my first review because it talks about gender equality in a way that I have never come across."

Read an excerpt from Laila on https://fadizaghmout.com/2020/12/17/an-excerpt-from-laila-by-fadi-zaghmout/.

The book speaks of how patriarchal norms not only harm women but the men of society as well. Society binds the people to hide who they are. All the characters in this book, Laila the protagonist, her husband and her lover are the victims of the rigid norms & rules of society. The book ends in a rather unexpected way but is not disappointing at all. The plot of this book is brilliant and reveals so many issues as you turn the pages that it provokes you to think deeply. It discloses a sad reality of almost every other house where liberation and equality have no weight.

In case you are interested in reading an extraordinary peice and a book that will hold a place in your heart forever, I highly suggest you to read the life of Laila.

You can read or buy the book on https://www.amazon.in/Laila-Fadi-Zaghmout/dp/9887794961/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=