Amal unbound by Aisha Saeed

"Amal unbound" by Aisha Saeed -  Zameendari!

This book is published by Nancy Paulson Books in 2020 and has 240 pages. 

Amal is a 12 year old girl, oldest of four daughters, lives in a small village in Punjab, Pakistan. She is intelligent, voracious reader and goes to school. One day she talks back to a man. The consequences are unimaginable.

Who is the man? Why does Amal talk back? What are the consequences? Can Amal get back to normal life?

Amal is a lovable character. She is good natured, intelligent, thoughtful, considerate. There is the atrocities of Zameendar and servant politics.

The story gradually builds up. Then comes the twist. You can't not feel sorry for Amal. The punishment she gets is way above her perceived impertinence. Then she sees a possible opportunity. Until this point the curve of the story is gradual and good. From this point onwards the story ends very fast. A little more efforts on this section would have made the book better.

If the Khan family dynamics was elaborated a bit, it would have been interesting. The character of Khansaab makes only a guest appearance.

All in all, a light quick read.

Why did I read this book? Pakistani author.

What didn't I like? As written in the review.

What did I like? The end is too fast.

Give it a try.