How to Be a Kosovan Bride by Naomi Hamil

Author : Naomi Hamil
Title : How to Be a Kosovan Bride
Published : 15/08/2017
Publisher : Salt Publishing
Pages : 224
Genre : Contemporary Literature

     How to be a Kosovan Bride opens up something entirely new to the reader: the history, culture, and stories of one of the newest countries in the world. It weaves together Albanian folktale, stories of Kosovan experience of the war in 1999 and a look into the lives of modern-day Kosovan women. The dark undercurrent of Albanian blood feuds underpins a story about the impact of war and the way that new life can emerge from the darkness. It is characterized by striking imagery and daring form. 

    If I'm being completely honest I can't remember how I came to learn about this book, I do know it has been on my to be read pile for quite some time. I always find it interesting to learn about other cultures or place, for it doesn't matter if it comes in the form of fiction or nonfiction. For me, I think you can tell a lot about other places by the way certain things or people are treated within a there society. so with this in mind, I turn to the book at hand.

     Within this story, we are lead through the lives of two very different girls. When we first meet them they are both about to be married off to prospective husbands. Within the text, we never get to learn either of these women names and in some ways, it allows for them to take on any woman you might come across within the borders of Kosovo, or for that matter someone you might know. While their fates might differ greatly, what they hope and wish for share so many strands. As I read I got to see how traditions of this country can affect a young girls life without anything that she can do. about it. Due to one small act, a life can be changed forever and she can be branded till the day she dies. I became intertwined with this two woman as they both fought for a life that was free and could make there own choices. I could not help but wanting for them to succeed in their lives. For many of us in the west, the thought of an arranged marriage is not soothing that would ever cross our minds but for a lot of woman in the world, it is a fact of everyday life. And while some work out it would seem a lot go on to have unhappy lives.

     I can safely say that I don't think I have ever read a book quite like this. From the way it is structured to the lives I got to learn about it all felt very unique. The author's style made it easy for me to jump between the different narrative strains without confusion. In between learning of these girls lives, we get tales of the old Kosovo, both from the war and much further back. It shows a country that was not only torn apart by the civil war but also one that is struggling to come to terms with a changing world. How the young women growing up now are looking further abroad and at the lives of the modern woman. They see a life full of freedoms and choice and are starting to ask why they still need traditions that bind them. Why can't they go on and go to university and have careers in any field they choose. To me, this came across well and breathed life into the characters and stories, this yearning to be free to decide our own lives and not be dictated to. As I become absorbed into the lives I began to see just how hard they have it. That even when you fight against it all, our countries still have a view of how a woman should behave and live there lives. These two women are people that you would want to help if given the choice, but this is not the way of life. 

     This is one of those books that was a complete pleasure to read, even if it does delve into some dark place, both in the lives of these two women and the scars the war has left on this country. It is written with expert pacing and while short still gave me a huge tale to take in. I would highly recommend picking up a copy if you come across t.