A Sister to Honor

Wow. I had a hard time putting this book down, I was so interested in what would happen next. Much of it was surprising, disturbing, and thought-provoking.

This novel by Lucy Ferris is the story of Afia and Shahid Satar, two young Pakistanis from a good family who have come to America to study. Shahid is the squash star, Afia the smart girl who will train to be a doctor, and then go home to Pakistan to treat women. Shahid has vowed to keep his sister protected from Western immodesty and immorality, but when a picture of her surfaces on the internet - holding hands with an American boy - a chain of events is set in motion that could ruin both of them, and their family back in Pakistan.

This is an intriguing story about honor, tradition, and the changes taking place in the Muslim world. Afia is an interesting character, modest but strong-willed, obedient and rebellious at the same time. She is being torn apart by her responsibility to her family and her sense of honor, in opposition to her desire to fit in and find her place in the West. She may be one of the strongest female characters I've come across in a long time, and her story is fascinating.

A Sister to Honor