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Sweetness of Tears: A Novel
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Sweetness of Tears: A Novel
Unavailable
Sweetness of Tears: A Novel
Ebook397 pages6 hours

Sweetness of Tears: A Novel

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

4.5/5

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About this ebook

From Nafisa Haji, author of the critically acclaimed novel, The Writing on My Forehead, comes The Sweetness of Tears, an emotional, deeply layered story that explores the far reaching effects of cultural prejudice, forbidden love, and hidden histories on a young woman and her family. A paperback original from a superb writer whose first novel was enthusiastically praised by Khaled Hosseini, bestselling author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, Haji, an American of Indo-Pakistani descent, writes with grace, heart, and wisdom about the collisions of culture and religion, tradition and modernity played out through individual lives.
LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperCollins
Release dateMay 17, 2011
ISBN9780062092038
Unavailable
Sweetness of Tears: A Novel
Author

Nafisa Haji

Nafisa Haji's first novel, The Writing on My Forehead, was a finalist for the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association Book of the Year Award. An American of Indo-Pakistani descent, she was born and raised in Los Angeles and now lives in northern California with her husband and son.

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Reviews for Sweetness of Tears

Rating: 4.313725490196078 out of 5 stars
4.5/5

51 ratings16 reviews

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    want to thank the author for writing such a beautiful book..thank u!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Auch a good read, really enjoyed it! Highly recommend it
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I'm really loving Nafisa's writing
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is a FANTASTIC novel by Nafisa Haji, that speaks about love, for family, for God, and for oneself. Whatever expectations I had of this book, Nafisa Haji trumped and exceeded all of them. It is a beautifully written novel, one that is sure to evoke many emotions in its reader.The book revolves around Jo, who come from a conservative Christian family, but finds herself questioning her faith all the time. During her spiritual struggle, she comes to find out the startling truth about her past, and her history. In order to reconcile with her lost self, she travels to Chicago, Pakistan and Iraq - learning Urdu and Arabic on the way, so that she can find herself amongst it all, bring her family together and find some semblance of peace in her life. The journey that Jo takes is truly inspiring, and Haji's writing is, no other way to put it, simply sublime. With her words, the author literally transports you from the mundane to places like Pakistan and Iraq, and describes them so vividly that you cannot help but feel as if you are, experiencing the majlis in the streets of Pakistan, or the sweltering heat of Iraq's desert. This book was no ordinary book, it felt like a portal that transported you to another place and time, and did it convincingly. Also, the way that author Nafisa Haji speaks of both Islam and Christianity in a fair and unbiased light, all the while drawing parallels between them and highlighting how very similar the two religions really are, is truly commendable. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone - it is an immensely rewarding read, and a book I'll cherish forever.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I requested this book on a whim; usually I avoid at all costs anything to do with Evangelical Christians. However, I'm glad I got this book. The story is a dance between two of the world's most common religions, Christianity and Islam, and how they connect into one young woman, Jo. After discovering her real father is a Muslim from Pakistan, she sets out on a very genuine journey to uncover her roots (from both sides). There is real character development, as Jo goes from a confused but set-in-her-was Christian to a happier woman who may not have all the answers.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
     A twin, Jo realizes her brown eyes do not synch with her missionary parent's blue eyes.Her search for her biological father, a Muslim, leads her to Pakistan and Iraq where she encounters the devastation caused by the war and the interconnection of one family with the PTSD of her own brother, an American G.I. She ultimately unites her extended family. Rich characterizations. Great story.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This was a wonderful book. I was a little put off in the first chapter by the extreme fundamentalist Christian family, but I continued reading and it all worked itself out. The writing does get a little preachy and political at some times, but looking beyond that, the story is excellent.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Great Read ! I was captivated by the The Sweetness of Tears and it continued to haunt and heal me much after the last words. Tears were involved but luckily sweet ones :) This exquisitely written novel takes the reader through an emotional journey full of self-reflection, courage, hope, challenge, learning, acceptance, submission, and ultimately, redemption---universal themes affecting all of us as individuals, as Americans, and above all as human beings. After her highly acclaimed and beloved The Writing on My Forehead (which I read and treasured), Haji has outdone her first achievement with another rich, multi-layered story that is a must read for everyone, especially given the post 911 times we live in. The Sweetness of Tears is a riveting tale that revolves around the life of Jo March, an Evangelical Christian that is courageous enough to challenge her faith and beliefs. Uncovering a haunting, hidden fact about her family, her life is thrown upside-down, setting in motion a mesmerizing journey around the globe that connects her to a different culture and religion than her own and ultimately transforms her to face greater life truths. The story is told from multiple generations and voices---all central to Jo's quest---which deepens the readers understanding of the characters and their perspectives and allows us to appreciate and embrace the complexity of the issues and choices facing Jo. In the end, this novel is a timely and powerful reminder of our universal potential to face conflict, transcend differences--of religion/country/faith/ideology, and embrace and celebrate the unity and rich diversity of our existence. Thank you, Haji, for pouring out your heart and soul through your writing.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was an early review book (although it was in the stores by the time I received it) and I was a bit unsure of its appeal just leafing through it. Forturnately my doubts were disproved. The author, Nafisa Hajy, kept my interest throughout the entire book. I am an underliner and margin note writer and I found myself doing that often because of the meaningful prose or how the story interacted with my life.I think it is extremely important that we learn about faiths other than are own as well as cultures and countrys. This provided not only an engrossing story but an interesting way to learn of other's customs, why certain rituals and observances are important and how we are more alike than many would like to believe.The courage of Jo to confront her mother, knowing that the man she had always thought to be her father couldn't be is a lesson for all of us to not be afraid to face up to an unknown, no matter how much it might change one's life. Haji also uses humor to difuse some of the incidents that could cause the book to become plodding and less readable.Some readers might think that the ending is a little too clean, all the ends tied up, but I would hope that there are similar situations that do result in families becoming closer and more inclusive.I would highly recommend this book as not only just a good story, but also as an educational way to learn about other religions and cultures.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    It’s rare to read a book that truly touches me, especially when the subject matter is far removed from the reality that is my life, but The Sweetness of Tears by Nafisa Haji did just that, touched me. This isn't a sad story. It isn't filled with tragedy and sorrow nor is it filled with happiness and joy. It is, quite simply, filled with the ups and downs, the mistakes and corrections, as well as the joys that make up life.The life and experiences of Jo March are at the core of this story. She realizes as a teenager that something is wrong because she and her brother have brown eyes but both of her parents have blue eyes. After confronting her mother she learns that her mother became pregnant as a teenager by another teenager, a Pakistani named Sadiq. Sadiq was a privileged and spoiled young man in Pakistan. He was separated from his mother as a young child, and had a brief reunion with his mother in the United States as a teenager. The story also introduces his mother's story, Deena. Deena is raised as a Shia Muslimah in Pakistani shortly after the Partition (or separation of Pakistan from India). She is an idealistic young woman that is blessed with a common sense family. After her father's death she is engaged and then marries the son of her father's best friend. Regrettably her husband is bipolar and off his medicines and it isn't until after the marriage when she learns of his "problem." Her husband commits suicide shortly after the birth of Sadiq and his family blames Deena. After Sadiq is taken by his father's family, Deena remarries and moves to the United States where she finds happiness with her new family.The lives of the characters intersect, gently influence, and overlap throughout the story. Deena befriends the teenage Angela on her visit to Los Angeles. Angela befriends Sadiq and they comfort one another resulting in the birth of Jo and her twin brother, Chris. Jo's exposure to different cultures through her maternal grandmother and mission work sparks an interest in language. Jo's meeting with Sadiq leads to her studying Arabic and Urdu in college, which leads to her work as a translator shortly after 9/11. Jo looks up Deena, her paternal grandmother, after she quits translating as a part of the war effort and visits Pakistan as a true civilian. Chris enlisted in the Marine Corps after 9/11, is sent to Iraq only to come home a broken man and attempts to kill himself. As I read this tale of a fictional family, I was often moved to tears. The emotions felt by the characters seemed to come alive and jump off the page. Remember, I said this wasn't a tale of sadness or sorrow although there is sadness and sorrow in the tale. It isn't a tale of tragedy although there are tragedies throughout, but there is also happiness and joy. Religion is often in the background of this story, but it isn't a tale of Islam vs. Christianity, Shia vs. Sunni, or Us vs. Them, but more about humanity and our similarities as opposed to our differences. This, for me, was a story about self-discovery, acceptance and, ultimately, family. The following lines seem to sum up all that is felt and depicted in this wonderful tale: "A wise woman that I know once said that the tears we cry for others are tears of sweetness – to be appreciated as a sign of God's love, and sorry, for all of the injustice that we lowly creatures, human beings who have not yet learned to be human, all of us, inflict on one another. It is a good thing, when we cry these sweet tears, she said. It is a good thing."So if you read this story, and you should, don't worry if you shed a few tears . . . tears can be a good thing.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a story of family, faith, forgiveness, and searching for one’s self told through multiple characters. Jo, who comes from a conservative Christian family, begins questioning her faith and as she searches for answers she makes discoveries about her past and family. She studies Urdu and Arabic in order to understand her past more as well as traveling to Pakistan and Iraq. As Jo discovers her past her story is interwoven with the story of other characters’ pasts which shed light on how the characters are connected.There were parts of this book that were beautiful and enlightening. Certain characters’ stories were heart wrenching, beautiful, and inspiring. However, there were other aspects that seemed too neat and solved too simply for the situation. I really wanted to like this whole book, but I just didn’t. There were definitely some wonderful parts of this story, but I thought there some disconnects between the importance of the events and the resolutions.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Through multiple voices, a family finally faces the hidden past and comes full circle as they try to reconcile all the many differences that had been kept locked away. Each character, from Jo, the "doubting Thomas, to grandparents trying to assimilate their past life with their American world, Nafisa Haji weaves a complicated and emotional tale that brings all the disparate people, places and beliefs together in a most satisfying conclusion. Along the way, the reader will gain insight into the differences between Shia and Sunni Muslims, the customs of arranged marriages and the rights of widowhood, the struggles of veterans who come home from war only to struggle with their nightmares that plague them nightly, and a Christian evangelic family who must face their newest family members with love or be divided by hate. A good read in this post 9/11 world.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I wanted to like this book more than I did. Although there is good character development, especially of Jo (main character), it was far too slow for my taste. The story is very emotional yet these emotions seemed too restrained. I imagined the film version would be filled with long silences and meaningful exchange of looks between the characters. I kept waiting for a little spark, a bit of passion. Still, it is a good story and worth a read. Read Ms. Haji's first book, The Writing on my Forehead, to see what this author can really do!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is one of the best books I've read in a long while. It absolutely captured my interest from the first chapter and I found it hard to put it down!The story is told in narrative form by several characters, one of whom is Jo, who grew up in a conservative Christian household with her brother Chris and a cast of other interesting family members. Along the way, Jo makes a startling discovery about her family history and unwittingly goes on a search to learn more about her heritage, learning Arabic and Urdu along the way and traveling to Pakistan and Iraq in an effort to find peace, set some things right, and to bring her family together.This book is one of those rare finds that draws you in and takes you to another place and time. Haji walks a fine, and somewhat dangerous, line of writing characters who are deeply involved in both the Christian and Muslim religions. I very much appreciated how she presented both in a fair and unbiased light and allowed each to be what they were while showing how startlingly different and yet alike the two faiths are. Definitely a recommended read, reminiscent of Khaled Hosseini's "The Kite Runner," and "A Thousand Splendid Suns."
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    i took me a moment to figure out the story line, told by the different characters but once i was in, i was really in. I could not enough of jo's experience in the Middle East. I felt good to see her out of place and her protective home. the only disappointmetn was the ending. Too good to be true.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I received this book from Early Reviewers. I am a fan of novels set in the Middle East and India but like a previous reviewer i was a bit hesitant after seeing the Evangelical Christian reference in the synopsis.After about a five pages in this was all forgotten and i was completely drawn into this story. After learning some basic genetics in a high school science class Jo March is forced to ask her mother who her real father is? After learning the truth Jo journeys down a path that leads her down an academic road that will eventually lead to a career as a translator for the government in a post 9/11 world and the life altering effects of this work. These experiences combined with those of her brother who had his own life altering experiences in Iraq lead Jo to learn more about and reconnect with the Pakistani branch of her family. Haij does a wonderful job of creating this diverse family though which we see the effects being in the military has had on multiple generations, the effects of parents who are missing or absent and through one family the we are shown views of the middle east from those who lived there and left, those who remain and those who came there because of a war not fully aware of the connection they already with this region.