Someone Like Her by Awais Khan BLOG TOUR #SomeoneLikeHer @AwaisKhanAuthor @OrendaBooks #Pakistan #BookReview

 

Multan, Pakistan. A conservative city where an unmarried woman over the age of twenty-five is considered a curse by her family.

 Ayesha is twenty-seven. Independent and happily single, she has evaded an arranged marriage because of her family's reduced circumstances. When she catches the eye of powerful, wealthy Raza, it seems like the answer to her parents' prayers. But Ayesha is in love with someone else, and when she refuses to give up on him, Raza resorts to unthinkable revenge…

 Ayesha travels to London to rebuild her life and there she meets Kamil, an emotionally damaged man who has demons of his own. They embark on a friendship that could mean salvation for both of them, but danger stalks Ayesha in London, too. With her life thrown into turmoil, she is forced to make a decision that could change her and everyone she loves forever.

 Exquisitely written, populated by unforgettable characters and rich with poignant, powerful themes, Someone Like Her is a story of love and family, of corruption and calamity, of courage and hope … and one woman's determination to thwart convention and find peace, at whatever cost…

Someone Like Her by Awais Khan was published in paperback on 17 August 2023 by Orenda Books. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this Blog Tour.

I read and reviewed Awais Khan's last book; No Honour in August 2021.  No Honour is a book that deeply affected me, it's a book that I have never forgotten. He writes with such passion and empathy about the issues relating to (almost always) women, in Pakistan.

Someone Like Her is another book that has left a significant mark on me. It's another testament to the author's incredible skill in writing fiction firmly entrenched in reality. It is another book that for me, as a Western woman, shocked and horrified me. It is a story that evokes emotions that range from anger, to despair, to sympathy and also to hope. 

We are aware of acid attacks here in the west. They do happen, and we have various women such as Katie Piper who bravely speak out and raise awareness of this crime. However, in Pakistan, this is a far larger issue. For many people, both male and female, these attacks are seen as something that the victim may have deserved. It is incredibly difficult to change the long standing cultural beliefs of a region, and despite the many people who work in the field, to help and educate, this is still a serious issue. 

Ayesha is a twenty-seven year old woman living in Multan, Pakistan. This is a city that holds on to the conservative view that any woman aged twenty-five or other, and unmarried brings disgrace upon their family. Ayesha embraces the modern world as far as she can. Her family were once wealthy, but her father made bad decisions and they are now far lower down in society than they once were. Ayesha works for a charity that helps victims of domestic violence. She also has a lover who she adores, but whose standing in the community prevents her from marrying him, or even being open about their affair. 

When wealthy, powerful and very influential Raza Masood decides to make a donation to this charity, it is Ayesha who is sent to meet him and to accept the cheque. This is her downfall, when Raza decides he wants something, he will do everything to ensure that he gets it, and he really wants Ayesha.

What follows is a dark and at times, very disturbing account of how far Raza will go to make sure that if he cannot have Ayesha, then nobody else will too. Khan's descriptions of the city, it's people and the outright corrupt systems are all wonderfully portrayed. Ayesha flees to London where she meets Kamil, a man who has grown up in London but has firm roots in Multan. Kamil is also damaged through his past experiences and the addition of this side of domestic violence adds such depth to the story, showing that it is not only women who suffer.

Masood will never give up though and Ayesha has more trauma to endure, with abduction and rape and violence along the way. 

This is a very important book, it is a book that I feel that everyone should read, and learn from and gain some understanding about how deeply entrenched in violence this culture is. There is also a glimmer of hope as we discover those people who are working hard to stop such things happening, and running throughout it is a story of love that gradually emerges. 

Highly recommended. Another outstanding, brutal but totally honest novel from a very talented author. 

Awais Khan is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario and Durham University.

He has studied creative writing with Faber Academy.

His debut novel, In the Company of Strangers, was published to much critical acclaim and he regularly appears on TV and Radio.

Awais also teaches a popular online creative writing course to aspiring writers around the world.

He is currently working on his third book.

When not working, he has his nose buried in a book.

He lives in Lahore. 

@AwaisKhanAuthor