When We Were Sisters
Ratings2
Average rating3.3
15
Ratings2
Average rating3.3
LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD • An orphan grapples with gender, siblinghood, family, and coming-of-age as a Muslim in America in this lyrical debut novel that “shimmers with love” (Los Angeles Times), from the acclaimed author of If They Come For Us “Haunting . . . a knife-sharp story of self-discovery.”—People In this heartrending, lyrical debut work of fiction, Fatimah Asghar traces the intense bond of three orphaned siblings who, after their parents die, are left to raise one another. The youngest, Kausar, grapples with the incomprehensible loss of their parents as she also charts out her own understanding of gender; Aisha, the middle sister, spars with her “crybaby” younger sibling as she desperately tries to hold on to her sense of family in an impossible situation; and Noreen, the eldest, does her best in the role of sister-mother while also trying to create a life for herself, on her own terms. As Kausar grows up, she must contend with the collision of her private and public worlds, and choose whether to remain in the life of love, sorrow, and codependency that she’s known or carve out a new path for herself. When We Were Sisters tenderly examines the bonds and fractures of sisterhood, names the perils of being three Muslim American girls alone against the world, and ultimately illustrates how those who’ve lost everything might still make homes in one another. LONGLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE
Reviews with the most likes.
CW: death of loved one, sexual assault, murder, child abuse, abuse, and Islamophobia
I wanted to love this so badly. This had so many things that, ideally, it should've been a new favorite. The poetic prose and the way the author strung each sentence together with such care left me wanting more. The actual storytelling was where I felt the book fell short. Throughout the book, there were times when I felt lost. I wish everything had been fleshed out a little more. Within 352 pages, the author wanted to cover a wide range of topics. It would have been nice if they had talked more about the sisters' difficulties in dealing with grief and all they have been through at such a young age. It felt rushed in places where I wanted more.
I would still recommend this novel. Maybe even re-read it physically to see if it was due to the format I chose to consume it in.
My brother is almost eight years younger than me.
Growing up, we marked our trailposts in life together, no matter how different they were. He was in kindergarten when I became a teenager. When I left home, he was just beginning to find his independence as a precocious nine-year-old. He entered high school as I was completing my undergrad degree, and he started university when I was already starting the second job of my post-college career.
Though the moments in life were different, we went through them together—sometimes far apart from each other, but still together in spirit. He was my confidant, my advice-giver, my sparring partner, and my dear friend.
Nowadays, as adults, the markers of life blur a little bit more. The moments are less seminal, more part of the unending travels of adulthood. Still, he remains one of my closest friends, in addition to being a wonderful brother to me and an incredible uncle to my daughter. Just as we did as children, we share with each other, we trust each other, we occasionally disagree with each other, and we look out for one another. I am lucky to know him; I am lucky to have him in my family, in my life.
Unlike the protagonists of Fatimah Asghar's When We Were Sisters, my brother and I led wonderful childhoods where we loved and cherished and cared for deeply. What we did share with the protagonists, however, was a deep sibling bond that transcended age and place and circumstance.
Ms. Asghar's novel is an exploration of that sibling bond, of a connection that invigorates, rejuvenates, infuriates, protects, and loves. It is a story about growing up with someone who will build a inner world with you no matter what the world outside looks like. It is about finding safety in those we love, and about doing what we can to make those we love feel safe as well.
I thought of my brother often as I read Ms. Asghar's lyrical prose: the way she crafts sentences is strong and gentle at the same time, attributes I see in my younger sibling as he wavers from stubbornness about his chosen career path, and softness in the way he cares for our aging grandmother every day.
The life of my brother and I could not be any more different than those of the main characters in When We Were Sisters, but the sisters share something my brother and I share as well: a recognition that no matter what the circumstance, we can lean on each other to persevere, to grow, and to thrive. This is a gift I do not, and will never, take for granted.
