Have you ever wondered what your life would look like if you didn’t have to live up to society – and more often, to your family’s – expectations? Maybe you would’ve chosen a different career path, maybe you would’ve ended up with a different partner. Maybe, just maybe, you would’ve done what really makes you happy.
This is what Etaf Rum explores in her novel, Evil Eye. At the core of it is an exploration of family, culture, tradition and a lot of self-exploration. The plot centers around Yara, a twenty-something-year-old mother to two children of Arab descent, living in the USA with her husband. She’s passionate about art, and works as an instructor and graphic designer at a university. This is what Yara looks like to the average person. On the inside, Yara’s mind is often flooded with questions about her life, her marriage and her childhood. Throughout the book, we are not only living Yara’s current reality, but are also jumping back to her childhood through a dual timeline.
By focusing on pressures enforced by family members, Etaf Rum does a wonderful job at putting mental health, especially in the Arab context, at the forefront. Yara focuses a lot on negative self-talk, blaming herself for her weak marriage, her mother-in-law’s disapproval of her and even her troubles at work. It isn’t until the final pages that Yara understands that she was never the problem, but it’s always been society and the pressures placed on her, similarly to how they were placed on her mother and grandmother before her. In many societies, women are burdened with expectations that center around society and family but not happiness. This is what Rum touches on brilliantly in her book by highlighting the double standards lived by Yara’s own husband, brothers and even father. Through exploring her past, we begin to understand the effect generational trauma has had on her decisions.
While the book might be a little dull at moments, especially as Yara lives a routine of cooking and putting her kids to bed, it highlights the role her reality plays in her mental health struggles. Rum’s writing style does a great job at keeping readers enticed throughout. Readers sink into Yara’s world, not just because of the pace, but through Rum’s way of detailing dishes, surroundings, thoughts – all of it.
‘Evil Eye’ is an introspective literary fiction, interesting especially to those interested in themes of intergenerational trauma, cultural identity and mental health. It’s an important story that challenges traditional narratives and champions the quiet strength of women striving for self-definition.
[SPOILERS]
Yara is leaving her husband. This is how the book starts, and then we go back to all the years that have led to this decision. While it might seem that Yara has a normal life, she battles anxiety and depression, though she doesn’t learn this until later on. Yara’s life consists of going to work, cooking and chores, spending time with her kids and showers and dinner with her husband. Her mother-in-law is always critical of her, but Yara remains in her routine. Her reality changes when one day, a colleague makes a comment about Yara’s background. In retaliation, the protagonist calls her a racist. This leads to Yara’s temporary suspension from the job, with recommendation to start therapy. While she doesn’t adhere to therapy, her suspension turns into unemployment. It’s during that time that Yara’s journey really begins and leads her to a beautiful friendship, understanding herself and her needs and a total acquittal from familial and societal expectations. Throughout the plot, Yara’s journey is paralleled by entries from her journal and stories from her mother’s past. We learn that Yara’s mother was also not happy in her marriage, and had blamed Yara for being abused by her father. Yara’s mental health struggles are further outlined by conversations she has with her now-deceased mother, which we also don’t learn until later on.
