A 17 year old Muslim girl relates this story of her childhood in Lahore, Pakistan, her flight to Clerkenwell, London, the loss of her mother, her arranged marriage at 16 and her extraordinary ability to pour out love. She clings on to the essence of it to help keep her safe. This is a frightening tale of the dominance of the man in the Muslim society and the horrors that some women suffer. It does get a bit over indulgent in its message of love but there is a very strong reason for that which adds to the extraordinary conclusion. I will give you no plot detail for any would spoil the power of the tale.
Set Me Free by Hina Belitz is a beautiful, unforgettable novel that will be devoured by fans of Me Before You by Jojo Moyes and The Memory Book by Rowan Coleman. It shines a gentle light into the shadows of life and shows how sometimes reaching out to the world is all it takes to set you free ...Mani and Nu. Sister and brother. Forced to flee their home in fear of their lives, Mani and Nu find themselves in a dark London flat. When the worst happens, fate abandons them far from the family who might love them. And so Mani accepts an offer of marriage in hope of finding comfort for Nu - but her dreams of happiness soon evaporate and she is left with no way of revealing the truth about the life she and Nu are leading. Little by little, Mani reaches out to the world with love ...it is only a matter of time before the world reaches back for her.
