Call Her Freedom is a brilliant multi-generational novel that follows the women of a family based in the Himalayan mountains during a time of political upheaval. Echoing the devastating history of Kashmir, the novel explores the impact of war and violence on a community of families who are forever changed not only by the impact of the conflict, but by layers of personal grief. Noorjahan and Aisha, each matriarchs of their generation, make a way for themselves and their children. Challenged by men and haunted by a fire that almost killed them, they persist to claim their right to live and love.

This book is so rich in imagery, even as the plot moves effortlessly along, creating a wistful grief alongside the characters. Our stomachs twist with the wish that there never needed to be reason to leave their beautiful land as the threats to peace build over time. Dorabji expertly holds heartbreak alongside moments of hope and defiance, imbuing a depth and complexity to each character. Tenderness, in spite of personal and global grief, struck something deep within me as I read. How do we nurture tenderness in a way that allows for collective survival while also protecting ourselves from unnecessary pain?

Shifting between multiple points of view, this novel moves from 1974 to almost present day, split into sections that highlight defining shifts in each woman’s life. This structure also shows the enduring pain/crisis of war; the unrelenting impact and continued escalation that fractures each character’s future.

This was a beautifully written book but also hard to read much of the time given the tragedy experienced by the family and the community. I found myself sometimes not wanting to grapple with the heartache in this book but also growing attached to the characters and returning to see how their lives unfolded.

sweeping and well written historical saga that is effectively and well-written and details some very interesting characters. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

Call Her Freedom by Tara Dorabji

The story starts in the village of village of Poshkarbal, where we meet Aisha, daughter of Noorjahan. Years ago there was a fire, relatives were killed and Aisha's father was seen no more. Noorjahan is a social pariah although her skill as a midwife and healer keeps her in high demand. Noorjahan is determined that her daughter does not end up like her so does what she needs to do to ensure her daughter gets the best of educations.

We follow Aisha, through heartache, an arranged marriage that includes love, the birth of her children, and the ache of having to give up hopes and dreams of further education and a career to be a wife and mother, while her husband is allowed to enjoy his pursuit of a career. There is so much guilt for Aisha, her memories of that fire that confuse and scare her, the mystery of her missing father, the fact that she's not allowed the chance to continue to learn. Plus, Aisha has a secret that she never told her husband and now feels she can't tell him since she waited too long to do so.

But all those things pale to the fact of what living under constant military presence, violence, and upheaval means to everyday life. Everyone is in danger and that can mean that anyone can be a threat. Men and boys are conscripted, tortured, killed, and girls and women suffer in every way possible, afraid to come out of hiding due to being seen not being safe.

The story goes in great detail about some of the brutal abuse, so much detail that it made it hard for me to focus on the bigger picture. We certainly get just how horribly the characters suffer and it's difficult to feel like there can be any real or lasting happiness while constantly living in fear of such great bodily hard and/or death. Not only are bodies destroyed but minds are ravished, too, due to unimaginable suffering. There are a myriad of lessons here but I'll need time away from the story to really think about it more. My mind is so full of the horrors that it's hard to remember anything else. The writing it good but it is so difficult to absorb.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for this ARC.

Set in a fictionalized version of Kashmir, this debut novel showed the very real struggles that Kashmir has experienced in the eyes of a matriarch who was trying to survive and keep her family alive and well.

Spanning over the course of decades, Aisha experiences a number of things whilst trying to live under occupation and in a militarized zone. It’s a uniquely important book because of its depictions of life in a world very different from the privilege found in America.

Grappling with the global issues as well as the local issues, it was well done

I requested Call Her Freedom by Tara Dorabji to learn of conflicts and cultures that I had little knowledge about. At times, the names of people and places was confusing, and close attention was necessary to keep everything straight. Some details were rushed while others went into too much detail, i.e. rape, murder.

Releases Jan. 21st. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

CALL HER FREEDOM - I always find books written about other cultures interesting. CHJ is interesting with good story lines and an interesting writing style. Emotions run the gamut throughout the story and not all are pleasant. Well told. Source: Netgalley. 4*

Thoughts

This book really grabbed me from the opening pages. And it was hard to put down.

As I was reading this I didn't know what conflict it was referring to because the places for names it provided didn't show up in Google and the author doesn’t say who anyone is. But I am sure if you are more familiar with geography and world conflicts it wouldn't be an issue for you. At the end is when I learned this takes place in Kashmir.

I cried a lot in this book. It is heartbreaking and a tough read. But you get so invested in the characters that it is hard to stop reading.

This is definitely one I need for my shelf. And this is now just the starting point for my education on Kashmir.

I was hooked on this novel from the first page. I don't usually read family sagas, but I really enjoyed this one. There was so much history and emotion. I highly recommend this novel to anyone who wants to read a historical fiction novel.
I am also looking forward to reading other works by Tara Dorabji.

In the foothills of the Himalayas, the picturesque mountain village of Poshkarbal is home to lush cherry and apple orchards and a thriving community—one divided by a patrolled border. Aisha and her mother Noorjahan live on the outskirts—two women alone in a world dominated by men. As the village midwife, Noorjahan teaches Aisha how to heal using local herbs and remedies. Isolated but content, Aisha is shocked when Noorjahan decides it is time for her to attend the village school as few girls do. Despite the taunting of her classmates and the teacher’s initial resistance to having her in the class, Aisha becomes a star student, destined for college.

When Aisha’s hand is bequeathed to a local boy in the village, she is forced to abandon her dreams of college. She comforts herself by staying on her ancestral land, creating a nourishing life with her children and husband. But her mother’s secrets come back to haunt her and her marriage and the growing military presence in Poshkarbal force Aisha to make impossible choices in order to save her family and preserve the independence Noorjahan fought for. What follows is a family chronicle brimming with life, love, and humor, about sacrifice and honor, and fighting for your home and culture in the face of occupation.

What an enlightening book. I didn't know anything about the culture or people of Kashmir before I started this. That was a highlight of this book. However, it's very hard to read - it deals with so much that we in The West cannot understand. Enlightening, deeply moving, excellently written, and a beautiful story. 4⭐

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

The novel set in Kashmir is the first time I have read about this place and its history. The book is historical fiction so the characters are not historical, but the events that happened in terms of wars and conflict are. So it was interesting to me to learn about this part of the world.
The story was easy to read and easily engaged me. I appreciated the writing style and I would read more books by this author if she publishes more. I believe this the author's first published book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for my ARC. The review is my own.

How a Civil War in a country like Kashmir can cause families to be separated, women and even men to be captured and tortured. The book follows the story of several characters whose lives have been interrupted by war and suffering from famine. This book is very intense and worth the read.

An interesting story that takes place in the 1970s and shows the suffering of war on families and children in traditional India families.

First, I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this e-book. I enjoyed how the story flowed; it was fast-paced as I always thought, "I have time for one more chapter". I liked having the multiple perspectives over time and seeing how each of them connected with each other and seeing how actions impacted all of the characters. I recommend this book to those who want to read stories from diverse voices.

Thank you Netgalley for the e-arc of this upcoming read!

Remember a few years back when everyone and their mother read Pachinko? Ok, now do you remember what made that book so enjoyable? This is a book, following that same dynamic and I need all my literary girlies to get on this ASAP

This is the best book I've read about a country experiencing civil war, the caste system, family secrets, unfaithful spouses, child abuse......I can't say enough about how well all this was tied together in a coherent story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-book.

I enjoy reading books about other cultures and histories, especially those I don't know much or even anything about. I've never read a book that takes place in Kashmir before, and I don't know anything about the conflict in Kashmir, unfortunately. I enjoyed learning about the culture through this novel and finding out more about the conflict. The book led me to look up more about the conflict happening in Kashmir, and I want to read even more about it to understand it further.
As for the story itself and the characters, I enjoyed the magical realism and the way the characters grew over time. I liked that the story deals with different generations and tells stories about different time periods in Kashmir. The story is very moving and brought me nearly to tears numerous times, particularly at the end.
I did get confused by the names of places as I couldn't tell sometimes what they were supposed to represent and who was the aggressor and who wasn't, but overall, this book was interesting to read and taught me something about a region of the world I don't know much about. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy family stories and cultural books about survival, love, war, and hope.

Written from the perspective of three women struggling to keep their family together amidst the chaos of war and military occupation, Call Her Freedom grabbed me. In a world strife with war and occupation, it gives a view of what life is like for those who must submit. It is the women who are strong and persevere. Vivid descriptions and memorable characters make this a novel to read.

Absolutely loved this heartfelt, sad, and heartwrenching novel. The story and main character keep you engaged and feeling her anguish throughout.

Thank you to #Netgalley and #SimonandSchuster for this ARC.

This novel beautifully and brutally tells the story of a woman and her family in what is almost surely Kashmir (although the country has a different name) from 1960 through current times. As the novel begins, Aisha is a child and the daughter of Noorjahan, a healer and midwife, who is an outcast because her husband left her. It is clear to Aisha that her mother harbors many gifts as well as many secrets. They live on the side of a mountain outside a small village, and life is quite difficult. Aisha is a good student, but when she is promised in marriage, she understands that a university education is no longer available to her. She marries and raises her children, one of whom becomes a guerrilla fighter, while the other pursues a foreign education. So, in many ways this is a novel of family: parent-child relationships; difficult mothers-in-law; navigating marriage; loss of parents; and distant daughters. But this novel is more, because the entire domestic structure of the characters must reflect the fact that the country is not only occupied by a brutal foreign power (India), but a foreign power whose religion is different (Hindu) (the characters are all Muslim). Woven deeply into the storyline are the horrendous brutality and arrogance of the occupying soldiers, as well as the multiple ways in which living under occupying forces affects everyday life and decisions.
Aisha is a very strong and well developed character, who sacrifices on many levels for her family. The author’s portrayal of village life in the Himalayas (including harvesting poppies) is quite tangible. The brutality disrespect for human life of the occupying forces is extremely clear. The writing is good – particularly for a debut novel. I look forward to Tara Dorabji’s next work.