[BOOK REVIEW] Woman of Sand and Myrrh

Author: Hanan al-Shaykh.

Year:  1989, 1992 (English Version)

Pages: 280

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing 

Reviewed by: Dinis Dwi Shinta R - Research and Development ISAFIS

Hannan Al-Shaykh tried to expose through the Women of Sand and Myrrh what it feels like to live as contemporary Arab women living in the Middle East. Narrated from four different women's point of views, this novel manages to give insights from various perspectives to the readers of how women in the Middle East are treated to every luxury but freedom, regardless of their status in the society. Women's lives here are circumscribed by a strict fundamentalist Muslim code which they ought to obey, wanting it or not. Al-Shaykh elaborated through the first-person narratives from Suha, Tamr, Nur, and Suzanne the struggle to cope with the insular, oppressive society in which women are always facing limitation behind veils and high walls in pursuing their freedom to live as a human being outside the cage. Al-Shaykh lets the readers to feel the atmosphere of the extreme patriarchal society in which women are inferior to men and are always entitled to household works in which having jobs to actualize one's self is certainly not on the list. 

This novel manages to address many issues with different focal points including but not limited to gender roles, class distinction, Middle Eastern culture, and religion codes. The good thing about this book is that Al-Shaykh could give the readers the real insight to these issues because she herself also grows up in the Middle East. This makes the story appears realistic to the readers. Taking 4 different point of views from different women with different socioeconomic status also enriches the value of this book because it helps to comprehend the explanation of the issues from different perspectives, so readers could get rich information about the issues. Besides, Al-Shaykh should also be highly appreciated for her bravery in frankly exposing the undiscovered life of women in the Middle Eastern countries. There are not a lot of people who have courage to do this. 

To relate the underlying story in the Women of Sand and Myrrh to the real life, it is true that Muslim women in Middle Eastern countries have been struggling against inequality and restrictive practices in education, workforce participation, and family roles. Facts are unraveled from the confession of roughly 6000 women in Saudi Arabia who spoke up to The New York Times about life in Middle East particularly Saudi Arabia after the first-ever election in which women were allowed to vote and run for the local office. From the respondents, it could be concluded that the major downside of living as women in Saudi Arabia is of course for the fact that women are always facing limitations in various aspects of life. Women have to entitle someone as their guardian and it shall be their father, brother, husband, or even son. It is from the guardian that they could be granted permission to do stuff such as getting education, traveling abroad, marrying the person of their choice, and even seeking medical attention. Believe it or not, if a woman gets into accident, paramedics cannot do anything until her male guardian arrives, regardless of how urgent the situation is. It is safe to say that women's lives and future depend on their guardians. 

However, changes are taking place right now. When chance to get education used to be near zero, lately the number grows and the chances are opened slightly wider. So do chance to join workforce and participate in political life.  Women are now doctors, engineers, scientists, working with men, and even run for election. We just have to be patient to wait for more chances to make changes. Things are changing. It is subtle, but it's there and it's tangible.