A Woman Like Her

At the start of this book (and I am at the start), the author pens a note to the reader, in which she says: “After months of interviews…most of the people who had known Qandeel were telling me what they thought I wanter to hear about her.” Also, “…even if Qandeel had been sitting right in front of me, it would not have made a great difference to my understanding of her.” Also, “I realized that it isn’t my job to provide the reader with every dirty little detail of Qandeel’s life, but to ask them why they would want them at all.” REALLY? You write a book about Qandeel’s life and then tell us this? We bought this book because we were thinking a good journalist was using journalistic techniques to dig out the truth about her life. Besides, now that the author has said all this, if she does go on to tell me about Qandeel, how am I supposed to trust that it is the actual truth? This is the strangest author’s note I have read at the start of a biography to date.
PS: What did the author mean by “every dirty little detail of Qandeel’s life”? In saying Qandeel’s life had ‘dirty’ details, she seems to be judging Qandeel–just like the rest of Qandeel’s critics. The author should choose words carefully–she is an author!

The topic could be potentially worth probing in depth. In Pakistan a sultry social media celebrity is murdered by her brother in a so-called honor killing on the theory that her provocative, sexy antics are disgracing her conservative family. Lots to examine — including how conservative, traditional social mores coexist with and/or clash with the immense popularity of soft core online pornography and how the chance to become a social media celebrity may strike young women with few attractive options in life as the most promising way to earn status and wealth. The coverage of the case in this book unfortunately stays at a superficial level and lacks much in the way of insight.

Qandeel’s story is important and fascinating. It deserved better storytelling than what it received in this book. As other reviewers note, the investigative journalism is impressive but the writing is so disjointed that things never really come together.

There is more to Qandeel Baloch’s story than a social media star tragically killed in a patriarchal misplaced sense of “honor”. This story tells the struggle and the tenacity to survive in a society where gender plays a part in your socio-economic caste. Vividly telling a woman’s bravery to defy all limitations placed on her. There is a lot of mystery as things are still left unanswered, but one thing this story has inspired is to never miss the call to justice and to stand up for women, and hear their concerns.

A dark story but hard to put down — one of those tragedies that is totally absorbing and moving and, in the end, inspiring. Qandeel Baloch is an odd protagonist, not exactly admirable, but a brave soul who grew on me and who in a way ultimately champions over the forces that murdered her. Also, some AMAZING reporting here that makes this book feel like a fascinating trip to a foreign yet not-so-foreign place.

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