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.

This book is a family saga. It is set in the foothills of the Himalaya mountains. It spans from 1969 through 2022.
Noorjahan has taught her daughter Aisha all about healing. Aisha has an arranged marriage and is forced to abandon her hopes and dreams for a better life by going to college. Life is difficult in Poshkarbal. There is a strong military presence.
This is a sad story. It was hard for me to read it times because of the violence.
Aisha was a very strong woman and endured much. She did it for the love of her family. My heart broke for her.
It is a beautiful written story. In her acknowledgments she states “Thank you to the people of Kashmir who shared their stories with me those in exile, in prison and creating home under occupation “.
A story that needed to be told.

Thank you Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for this advanced readers copy.

From the book jacket; "Call Her Freedom is a lyrical, beautifully written novel about one woman’s love for her family. It is a sprawling investigation into colonialism’s relationship with loss and innocence spanning from 1969 to 2022. It is brimming with the violence of militarism, family secrets, and generational trauma announcing Tara Dorabji as a thrilling new voice in fiction."

Call me biased but I 100% agree. The book is very hard to put down, partly because of the topic and partly because it is a region so close to my heart. Kudos to Tara for lifting up all the struggles the region has faced. The book follows Aisha across her lifespan as she continues to move forward from the horrors she’s endured. This is a story about transgenerational trauma and healing. Trigger warning; rape used as a tool of war, torture and death by suicide.

Thank you #netgalley and #SimonAndSchuster for my ARC Copy. The views are my own.

I don’t even know where to begin… I feel like I have mixed feelings after reading this but at the same time all those feelings are somewhat sad. Sad for the characters and sad for the story, but that means that it was written in a way to pull those emotions which is phenomenal. The story feels tragic all around but the main character proved to be strong and resilient throughout the whole story.

I have mixed feelings about this book. It was mostly tragic with a few good experiences mixed in. I liked that Aisha remained strong despite all of the horrible things that happened to her. My heart ached for the people living in the village of Poshkarbal.

Trigger warnings: murder, suicide, rape and torture.

The epilogue was my favorite part. It provided a hopeful future for Nalja and her family.

I was provided a complimentary copy of the book from Simon and Schuster via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.