79 pages • 2 hours read
The Pearl That Broke Its Shell
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Book Brief
480
Novel • Fiction
Afghanistan • 2000s
2014
Adult
18+ years
Super Short Summary
The Pearl That Broke Its Shell by Nadia Hashimi intertwines the stories of Rahima, a girl in 2007 Kabul who adopts the custom of bacha posh to gain more freedom, and her great-great-grandmother Shekiba, who also lived as a bacha posh a century earlier. Their tales of struggle and resilience against restrictive gender norms highlight themes of family, identity, and the quest for autonomy. The book includes themes of child marriage and domestic violence.
Contemplative
Emotional
Dark
Inspirational
Melancholic
Reviews & Readership
60,308 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
Review Roundup
The Pearl That Broke Its Shell by Nadia Hashimi captivates readers with its dual narratives and vivid portrayal of Afghan women's struggles. Praised for its poignant storytelling and cultural depth, the novel skillfully juxtaposes historical and contemporary issues. However, some critiqued it for pacing issues and occasional predictability. Overall, it's an impactful read.
Who Should Read The Pearl That Broke Its Shell?
Readers who enjoyed Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns or Christy Lefteri's The Beekeeper of Aleppo will find Nadia Hashimi's The Pearl That Broke Its Shell captivating. Ideal for those drawn to compelling tales of resilience and women's lives in Afghanistan, this novel interweaves historical and contemporary narratives with emotional depth.
60,308 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
480
Novel • Fiction
Afghanistan • 2000s
2014
Adult
18+ years
Continue your reading experience
Subscribe now to unlock the rest of this Study Guide plus our full library, which features expert-written summaries and analyses of 8,000+ additional titles.