Payback

by Rosemary Hayes

Overview

Like other young Muslim girls of 18, Halima has moved with her family to London and her horizons are beginning to expand. Then, just as she is about to start university, she discovers her father's plan: to marry her to the son of a distant relation in Pakistan who once did him a favour. Halima is to be the repayment of the debt. And it's payback time...

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Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781907666155
Publisher:	Lincoln, Frances Limited
Publication date:	06/18/2009
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	208
File size:	508 KB
Age Range:	12 - 15 Years

About the Author

Rosemary Hayes lives and works in Cambridgeshire. She has written numerous books for children including historical and contemporary fiction and fantasy – many of which have been shortlisted for awards. She is also a reader for an authors’ advisory service and enjoys helping unpublished writers to hone their skills. Rosemary lived in Australia for six years, and her first children's novel Race Against Time, set in Australia, was runner-up for the Kathleen Fidler Award. Rosemary's first Frances Lincoln book, Mixing It, about the relationship between a Muslim girl and a non Muslim boy against a background of terrorism, was shortlisted for the South Lanarkshire Book Award. Her next book, Payback, is based on the actual experiences of a young Muslim woman who was brave enough to defy her family and reject the husband chosen for her.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 5–10—At 10, Halima leaves her Pakistani village and moves to London with her family, where she attends school, learns English, takes up debate, and befriends independent Kate. When she enters City University at 18, Halima learns that her despotic father long ago arranged her marriage to a distant relation in return for a personal favor, and she finds herself caught in desperation between loyalty to her family and the dreams she has for her own future as a politician. With the aid of Kate and a sympathetic teacher, Halima resists her family's pressure and flees, going into hiding. Her rejected bridegroom's family retaliates by having her kidnapped in a tensely dramatic climax. In this tale of clashing cultures set against a backdrop of strong family ties and traditional Muslim faith, Hayes writes clearly and concisely, switching the narrative voice among the characters and letting the dynamics of the story simmer and build realistically. The novel is based on a true story.—Joyce Adams Burner, National Archives at Kansas City, MO

School Library Journal

Raised in Pakistan but now living in London and attending City University, Halima realizes that the longer she lives there, the more she is drifting apart from her family. Now, a deal made by her father when she was eight threatens her new life, and unless she can summon the strength to go against her culture and assert herself, she may be forced into an arranged marriage. As she says, "I was the bait which had sealed the deal all those years ago. And now it was payback time." Halima goes into hiding, and the story grows tense. She is abducted, and alternating first-person voices heighten the drama, as those who care about her tell their stories while racing the clock to prevent Halima from being returned to Pakistan. A good deal of the drama is undercut by the front and back covers, which give away much of the story, but the simple, fast-paced prose makes Halima's journey worth following. (Thriller. 10 & up)

Kirkus Reviews

A powerful, moving read.

From the Publisher