Celestial Bodies
By Jokha Alharthi
Translated by Marilyn Booth
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publisher: Sandstone Press
*Gifted*
Watch the breakdown
Celestial Bodies is a book about the past and ongoing changes happening in Oman. These are explored mainly through the lives of three sisters back in their village of al-Awafi. The three are very different individuals. The eldest sister Mayya marries after experiencing heartbreak. The second sister Asma, a lover of books marries out of a sense of duty. And the youngest sister Khawla, stands her ground and refuses various marriage requests choosing to wait for her cousin to return from Canada to marry her. Through the interactions of the sisters with their family and wider community you get an insight into the traditions and cultural beliefs shaping the society which until the 1970s was a slave-owning one.
It hit me when
Khawla asked for a divorce. Ok, you need some context. She waited for years and years for her cousin, they'd been promised marriage to each other when they were younger. Anyway, he'd gone to Canada on a scholarship and basically ditched his studies and never returned to Oman after. He eventually returned to Oman and married Khawla for financial gain. She had him, but she never really had him, and then ten plus years later when he decided he was ready. BAM... she checked out!
Mannnn, a woman has emotionally checked out before she verbally tells you. She put up with a lot and stayed around for so long, even to the point that family members thought she was insane.
Favourite Character
Abdallah was my favourite character. In the midst of there being so many other characters, I looked forward to his chapters. He gave off a real warmth viewing everyone as equal, including slaves. I also felt sorry for him, he loved his wife so much and she just never showed any affection towards him.
Is that how you’re feeling yeah?!
The book is a good insight into a community going through a transition and I managed to get a peek into that. Certain parts I really enjoyed reading. Khawla's journey, and even though the section was short, Maryam and the Judge's marriage, it felt magical. The storytelling was the strongest when the chapters were stand-alone focusing solely on a specific character, cousin Marwan's story is one of them. Someone brought up, with effectively his life already planned for him on the back of a dream his mother had.
The rest of the book felt scattered and all over the place, and it overshadowed in my opinion what could have been a really strong novel. There were so many names and characters coming up and then never being mentioned again. Also, there was no clear order as to how and when these characters appeared so it became really busy. For example, a character like Zarifa would be discussed, then next her death would be covered, and then in the following chapter, a story would continue with Zarifa in it. And then later details of her death would appear again. It was just too confusing.
Seasoning Level
CO2 | Salt | Pepper | Mixed Herbs | All Purpose Seasoning
Somewhere between salty and CO2. I'm usually so thirsty for little details and answers, but by the time I got to the end of the book I was so drained trying to keep up that I didn't even care about what had really happened to Abdallah's mum, and that is really rare for that to happen to me.
*This book was gifted by Sandstone Press.