Title: The Pact We Made
Author: Layla Alammar
Type: Fiction
Published: 2019
Pages: 274
TW: Rape, Sexual Assault, Misogyny, Infidelity
“I hold those moments in snow globes in my mind, perfectly preserved miniatures of our trees and grass and night orchestra and endless sky. And every so often I’ll come across that nazar in an old jewelry box, or a constellation will flash across the screen in some movie, and those snow globes in my mind will shake until our leaves rustle and our stars tumble and fall.”
Set in Kuwait, The Pact We Made is about Dahlia, who is approaching her 30th birthday and being unmarried, is being hounded by her parents to find a husband. While they are on a match-making hunt, Dahlia is fighting her own battles – of her identity, her career, and her past which she struggles to let go of. Feeling her future is uncertain, Dahlia is determined to take back control of her life, but how easy will the truly be? A story of trying to gain autonomy in a society that traditionally does not allow that, The Pact We Made shows the dichotomy of trying to be modern and independent while trying to hold on to some traditions. Dahlia’s mother would be happy if she accepted one of the men found for her as a husband and lived a quiet and conforming life like her sister and friends. But how can she do that when her past lives at the forefront of her mind?
One of the reasons I loved this book so much was the relationships between the characters; while some may have been traditional (Dahlia and her mother), others were less so (Dahlia and her male best friend Yousef) but none of them felt cookie-cutter – they all had intricacies and depth which made everything in the book feel very real.
Given the difficult subject matter we eventually get into, (I won’t spell it out her as it will spoil the plot) it would be easy to assume that the book would be full of pain and trauma, however, once I’d finished I was pleasantly surprised to find it felt like the book was full instead of hope and optimism. Alammar doesn’t shy away from exposing the brutality but she doesn’t dwell on it longer than necessary leaving the reader with a sense of promise for the future.
I think overall I loved this book so much because I loved it protagonist so much. There were many layers, but the strong-willed personality of Dahlia, her relationship with her friends, and her determination made the whole novel very compelling and relatable. It’s a novel that explores love, betrayal, faith, tradition and somehow finds the beauty in it all.
Review overview
Summary
8.9Compelling, Surprising, Layered