A female falls victim to rape, a year and half later she takes on facing the society , fighting for her right to live
Excerpt
"A year and a half after bringing her attacker to justice, rape victim Farida is trying to move on with her life. But now she faces a new set of challenges as she faces a society that instead of embracing her as a victim, tears her apart with its looks and whispers, a society that judges her blindly and silently, wonders if she asked for it. Farida faces her biggest challenge yet: the fight for her very identity and her right to live as a whole person"
Professional Reviews
Nancy Medina "A very heartfelt and moving story"
The subject of rape is always a difficult topic to speak out upon. It's something people prefer to shove into the back of a drawer, intent on forgetting that such a thing ever happened. This mentality extends to every reach of the world, not just in Egypt and the outlying reaches of the Middle-East. While this subject is often-times taboo, it's imperative that those who've gone through such an ordeal to take the time to address it. To tackle the issue head-on in hopes of being able to put it behind them.
Tarek Refaat tackles this issue beautifully, in a way that leaves the reader with a greater understanding of what's like to experience rape through the eyes of the book's heroine. We are able to feel her pain and her frustrations as the society around her begins to treat her as if she's nothing but a bug to be crushed underneath their feet. A society that fails to understand that she's a victim of an unfortunate circumstance.
What they fail to understand is that Farida is a not what they think she is. She's a victim who's having quite a hard time dealing with what has happened to her. Her mind refuses to accept and overcome the rape. She feels that her soul is torn and that it'll never heal completely. More so, she feels lost. As if she'll never escape the injustice that has been committed against her.
As the story progresses, we're able to see Farida gain strength in her convictions as she does her best to move on. When her co-workers and her friend, Sara, show her that she doesn't have to deal with everything alone, she finds it within herself to finally accept the world around her. Most of all, she realizes that friends truly do make it worth living for and that it's possible to love again.
Ruptured is truly a remarkable story. One I recommend others read. It's a story that is very heartfelt and quite moving. I think quite a lot can relate with she's gone though.
Sandra Schwayder Sanchez "Kudos to author Tarek Refaat"
Ruptured is a very short straight to the point novel about a young professional woman, Farida, trying to recover from the trauma of rape. The recovery is made more difficult in that she charged her rapist so the case went to trial and attracted the public's attention. The rapist goes to jail but the public continues to judge the victim. She needs a lot of time before returning to her job as a magazine writer and editor where a ruthlessly ambitious younger woman, Gihan, seeks to "bring her down" in order to take over her spot in the magazine hierarchy, a spot she had hoped to get earlier in the wake of Farida's misfortune.
The author, a young man of impressive insight and empathy prefaces the novel this way:
"Being a person who tends to analyze my surroundings has been a source of inspiration for my writings throughout my life. Despite my relatively young age, I have managed to grasp several experiences and witness many others. It is why I decided to write this story."
Throughout my reading of this book I thought that, had I not known otherwise, I would have thought the author was a woman who had herself experienced the trauma of rape. I found myself very impressed with the author's ability to get into Farida's heart and mind. He also paints a credible and painful portrait of a society that blames the victim in these cases. As he points out in the Introduction:
"In Middle Eastern society, a woman who has suffered such a horrible experience as rape is condemned in the eyes and words of the community. People never cease talking about her or wondering if she was the cause of the incident and, even if not, they regard her as "used goods" or an "expired product" who should be satisfied with whatever comes her way even if this means getting married to someone who doesn't suit her or care about her. The pressure the victim undergoes is tremendous."
The author uses the articles Farida writes on a blog to follow the ups and downs of her recovery:
"Then on my way home I decided to drive down the road where it happened, where I was raped. Raped the word that changed my life, personally, socially and in every way. Everything in my life has changed because of this five letter word. But it is not just a word. It was hell in less than an hour. I came back home feeling as if I was going to die. My heart was racing. My head was pounding. Nothing was in the right place. But I made it. I got through it. I think I am starting to face myself bit by bit."
After he makes the reader care deeply about Farida the author sets her into a plot involving characters that are both archtypal in their representations of good and evil and realistic with their idiosyncratic voices and mannerisms. Some of the actions in the last part of the book seem unlikely and unrealistic like in an action film or comic book but they are entertaining and lead to a happy ending. It is as if the author has at some point moved from writing a novel based on total reality to writing a tall tale intended to entertain and vindicate. Karam, the sensitive and kind psychiatrist becomes the powerful "knight in shining armor" that Farida needs and deserves and he represents the goodness and justness I suspect this author would like to see everywhere in the society around him. The transition is a little sudden but left me wanting to cheer out loud for characters I had come to love. I highly recommend this artful & insightful novel that espouses and celebrates good values.
Sandra Shwayder Sanchez
Erin O'riordan "A strong story of Survival"
Ruptured, a novel by Egyptian author Tarek Hassan Refaat, isn't always an easy one to read. It tells about the emotional aftermath of a sexual assault. Its main character, Farida, is a strong-willed survivor, so she is able to triumph even in the face of a society that looks down on her for something that wasn't her fault.
Refaat writes in his introduction, "In a Middle Eastern society, a woman who has suffered such a horrible experience as rape is condemned in the eyes and words of the community.
"People never cease talking about her, or wondering if she was the cause of the incident and, even if not, they regard her as `used goods' or an `expired product' who should be satisfied with whatever comes her way, even if this means getting married to someone who doesn't suit her or care about her. The pressure the victim undergoes is tremendous. In this novel, I attempt to take you on a journey of pain, struggle, and hope."
This attitude, unfortunately, is not confined to the Middle East. Until girls all around the world are educated equally along with their brothers, their thoughts and contributions to society are valued and males are taught from an early age to respect women, sexual assault survivors all over the world will still be able to identify with Farida's struggle, the dark times in her life, and her post-traumatic stress syndrome. It's yet another reminder that the fight for equal rights for women - even the basic human right not to undergo rape and other forms of torture - is one we must continue to fight.
Making matters worse for Farida is her Machiavellian co-worker Gihad, who's scheming for her position at the magazine where they work. As thoughtless as she is ambitious, Gihad betrays Farida in an unimaginable way. Gihad's betrayal is almost as difficult to read as the passages that deal directly with the rape.
As Refaat's introduction promises, though, there are moments of hope as well. Farida seems to find a true friend in her new co-worker, Dr. Karam. The psychiatrist is extremely empathetic and professional toward her, helping Farida slowly heal. He may even be developing romantic feelings for her, though his professionalism and manners ensure that he will go about expressing his feelings in a respectful, appropriate way.
As you may have gathered from some of my previous reviews, when I read fiction that involves a character who has been sexually abused, I demand sensitivity on the part of the writer. Tarek Refaat writes with sensitivity, sympathy and an eye toward human dignity at all times. He takes us inside Farida's head, a very dark place, but ultimately a place where survival and healing can occur. This isn't an easy book, but it's a lovely and worthwhile story of the triumph of the human spirit.
Black Leather and Blue Denim, A '50s Novel is adult literature for anyone who likes 1950s' teen culture. BL&BD has been given a 5 Star Rating by ebookpalace.com and by Midwest Review
